Yukinoshita’s Method of Correction [34]

“Eh?”

As if realizing something, Yuigahama Yui quickly began scrolling through the video. The footage eventually stopped on Sasaki’s dark, unsettling expression as he stared upward toward the third floor.

“Look...” Yuigahama moved the footage back slightly, pointing at the vague silhouette. “From here, there’s no way to tell who’s inside, right?”

“At that distance, it’s impressive enough you can see movement,” Komachi carefully examined the image. “But it probably wasn’t a person moving, just someone manipulating one of the Ao Oni models. After all, the prop room was full of them.”

“Seeing someone move the props made Sasaki furious...” Yuigahama turned to Komachi. “Would his girlfriend mess around with the props like that?”

“I’ve never even seen his girlfriend...” Komachi considered for a moment. “But she often helped out, so Sasaki shouldn’t be upset if it was just her.”

“So...he was angry because someone else entered the prop room,” Yuigahama murmured. “But he couldn’t possibly identify the person from downstairs. Yet, as soon as he saw the props move, he knew someone else was in there.”

“You’re saying...” Komachi’s eyes widened. “He knew it couldn’t be his girlfriend. The moment he saw movement, he realized someone else had entered the prop room. That’s why his face turned so dark.”

“But why wouldn’t his girlfriend be able to move?” Yuigahama pondered aloud, eyes darting thoughtfully before suddenly stopping on Higashigumo. “Ah! Just like Higashigumo!”

Higashigumo frowned. “Just like me? What about me?”

“The hobby! Sasaki’s girlfriend shares your hobby!” Yuigahama mimed pulling a rope tightly around her wrists. “So, she couldn’t move or even make a sound to stop Miki from entering.”

“What do you mean ‘shares my hobby’?!” Higashigumo protested indignantly. “I don’t have any weird hobbies! And where did you even learn stuff like that?”

“I...” Yuigahama flushed deep red. “I just heard it from a friend...”

“But if that’s really the case...” Komachi also blushed, imagining the scenario. “Why didn’t Sasaki lock the door?”

“To make things more exciting, of course!” Yuigahama clapped her hands together decisively. “Now we have a reason for their breakup—because Sasaki didn’t lock the door!”

It even neatly explained why Sasaki’s girlfriend would try to scare Tanaka.

Higashigumo sighed. “Your knowledge is disturbingly comprehensive.”

“From a friend...” Yuigahama looked away sheepishly. “A friend with questionable judgment...”

Learning good things is tough; picking up bad habits happens in a flash.

“If something that serious happened,” Yukinoshita Yukino interjected expressionlessly, “would Sasaki really still go downstairs to continue filming with Tanaka?”

“Oh right...” Komachi suddenly realized. “He’d have been comforting his girlfriend instead.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions. We haven’t confirmed it was his girlfriend,” Higashigumo reminded them. “It could still be someone else.”

“Then…maybe Miki?” Yuigahama proposed. “You’ve never actually seen Sasaki’s girlfriend, right? Maybe it was Miki all along, and she nearly got caught by Tanaka...”

“Miki was in the Film Club room when Tanaka went upstairs,” Komachi shook her head. “She couldn’t teleport to the prop room.”

“Well...” Yuigahama lifted the poster thoughtfully. “Then it could still be Miki. She likes Hojo and wants to support his new poster. But since Hojo was still struggling to finish it, she might’ve hung the Ao Oni prop outside to scare Tanaka and delay filming, buying Hojo more time.”

“But Hojo would’ve seen it.” Komachi moved the video forward to the strange blue figure. “It was hung outside the Film Club room window—specifically, slightly below it. From inside the clubroom, you wouldn’t notice, but dropping it from above would definitely be visible.”

“Not necessarily.” Higashigumo picked up a rope from behind the clubroom’s clutter, tying a book to its end. “If you swing it sideways like this—”

He tossed the rope; the book swung in a wide arc before finally settling below, hidden from immediate view.

Higashigumo pointed at the arc: “If you control the rope length, you could position it perfectly, so no one inside the Film Club would see the prop falling.”

Komachi flicked at the rope lightly. “But you’d still notice the rope moving. Even a fishing line swinging would catch your attention.”

“Oh! I know this one!” Yuigahama enthusiastically adjusted the video. “Look—the curtains in the Film Club room were partially closed!”

Hojo had deliberately dimmed the room to create a gloomy atmosphere, closing some of the curtains.

Though a larger object would cast noticeable shadows, the thin fishing line swaying gently would definitely go unnoticed from inside.

“So, was it really Miki after all?” Yuigahama bit her lip softly. “She’s so kind—why would she...”

“The retrieval issue,” Yukinoshita tapped her notebook lightly with her pen. She’d already drawn a diagram while Higashigumo was demonstrating. “If Miki did it from the third floor, she’d need to retrieve it afterward. Dropping it is easy enough, but pulling it back would be visible from the Film Club room.”

“Couldn’t she leave it hanging and retrieve it later?” Yuigahama tilted her head. “When no one’s around?”

“Miki and Hojo are childhood friends; they usually go home together. Even if she made an excuse to come back, Hojo would probably follow,” Komachi added. “Not to mention Tanaka or Sasaki might check things again later.”

Getting caught red-handed would’ve been inevitable.

“So, the only person who had time, opportunity, and motive—someone who could quickly set it up and retrieve it—is Hojo.” Yuigahama muttered thoughtfully. “He even had access to an Ao Oni prop, and just needed Miki gone briefly.”

“Whether it’s Miki or Hojo, the goal was still to scare Tanaka.” Yukinoshita closed her notebook. “But how could they be certain Tanaka would even notice?”

“Just luck?” Even Yuigahama seemed unconvinced by her own explanation. “The only one who could control exactly where Tanaka’s camera pointed was... Sasaki!”

“Higashigumo-kun,” Yukinoshita’s voice was clear and icy, “are you still determined to hide your thoughts?”

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This is a fan translation of 雪之下的矫正方式 by 微凉温热 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!