Yukinoshita's Correction Method

"It's not..." Dong Yunshan rubbed his forehead helplessly. "This really happened to a friend of mine."

"Mhm, mhm, I understand." Komachi Hikigaya's eyes reddened slightly. "Can you tell me what type you like? There might be someone around me. I can introduce you."

"I'm not planning to date right now." Dong Yunshan sighed. "Don't get the wrong idea. This isn't my personal experience."

Yukino Yukinoshita wore an unusually gentle smile, her eyes full of concern. "I know a few banks with especially beautiful ATMs..."

"You're the worst!" Dong Yunshan protested bitterly. "Why are you introducing ATMs already?"

Yukino Yukinoshita: "I remembered that was your type."

"Whose type is an ATM?" Dong Yunshan snorted. "I like rich older women too. Why haven't you introduced me to any?"

Yui Yuigahama and Komachi Hikigaya looked at Yukino Yukinoshita, then turned to Dong Yunshan. ""Ooh~~~""

"Anyway..." Yukino Yukinoshita shot Dong Yunshan a glare. "Sasaki's girlfriend is very likely fake."

"Huh?" The topic suddenly swung back, and Yui Yuigahama voiced her confusion. "But why would he..."

Dong Yunshan reminded them, "There's a childhood-friend pair in the club."

"Also, Miki had clearly chosen his poster, but then changed her choice because she was concerned about Hojo's feelings. That's why Sasaki..." Yui Yuigahama adjusted the video's progress bar. "Wait, didn't Tanaka capture it here?"

"He captured a silhouette." Komachi Hikigaya played the video. During that brief moment, the silhouette had not moved at all. "For Sasaki, who made props, making a model and casting its shadow on a curtain wouldn't be difficult—but no one noticed all this time."

"Hojo probably noticed some clues, but he didn't know Sasaki's girlfriend didn't exist. Instead, he suspected Miki was Sasaki's secret girlfriend." Yukino Yukinoshita pointed at the poster. "That's why he stayed at school drawing posters until late every day, and deliberately left the door open."

"That makes this action make sense too." Yui Yuigahama watched Sasaki leave the prop room in the video, set the model aside, and reach for his pocket. "He wasn't looking for fishing line. He wanted to lock the door. But if his fictional girlfriend was inside, locking the door while someone was supposedly there would seem strange, so he didn't."

"Then, while Sasaki and Tanaka were filming downstairs, Miki went to the prop room to get a model for Hojo as reference." Komachi Hikigaya followed that line of reasoning. "Miki probably knocked first and asked whether anyone was inside. After getting no response, she went in and saw the shadow on the curtain. She thought it was Sasaki's girlfriend, called out a few times, and got no answer, so she went behind the curtain to look..."

"She most likely saw a model dressed in clothes and wearing a wig... Thinking back on all those earlier clues, she understood what was going on." Dong Yunshan felt that scene must have been rather eerie. "Maybe she wanted to take a closer look, or maybe she got scared. Either way, Miki accidentally knocked over Sasaki's 'girlfriend.'"

"And when Sasaki saw something moving in the prop room, he knew someone else had entered, which was why his expression looked so bad." Yukino Yukinoshita looked at the video playing. "When he came upstairs and saw the Film Research Club's model, he knew either Hojo or Miki had entered the prop room."

Volume Two: Club Activities — The Same Treatment

["Hojo wanted to get a feel for things using the props,"] Miki explained awkwardly in the footage. ["You weren't there, so I went to get it myself. I'll return it to you later."]

Sasaki said nothing. He only looked at Miki.

["R-right."] Miki seemed to suddenly remember something. ["Your girlfriend asked me to tell you that she had something to do and left first."]

["...I understand."] Sasaki nodded and quickly walked away.

"This is where Miki explained why she entered the prop room. She didn't want to expose Sasaki's secret, so she made up an excuse to cover for him." Komachi Hikigaya immediately understood the strange interaction between Miki and Sasaki. "And here too—Sasaki deliberately piled the props at the doorway to stop Tanaka from entering the prop room, giving himself time to check what had happened inside."

By the time Tanaka arrived at the prop room, Sasaki had already thrown the Blue Demon model in front of the door and gone inside alone.

Tanaka spent quite a while carrying the Blue Demon models into the prop room one by one.

That was enough time for Sasaki to confirm the situation.

"When Sasaki went downstairs with Tanaka to film again, he seemed distracted and kept playing with his phone. He was probably communicating with Miki." Just imagining it made Yui Yuigahama's scalp tingle with embarrassment. "After Miki found out, he must have felt his own... Anyway, he thought he should stop this... um..."

Yui Yuigahama paused several times, trying to find appropriate words, but found none.

"Sasaki, immersed in the fantasy he had constructed, felt an indescribable Void amid his unspeakably complicated emotions the instant someone intruded into his dream." Dong Yunshan tapped his temple lightly. "So when Tanaka asked, Sasaki, wanting to end everything, told him he had broken up with his girlfriend."

Yui Yuigahama nodded repeatedly. "It really takes someone with the same experience..."

Dong Yunshan looked at her expressionlessly.

"...or rather, that person's friend can describe it more accurately." Yui Yuigahama avoided his gaze and changed the subject. "But this was exposed because Tanaka suddenly showed up, so Sasaki returned to the prop room first, hung the blue object outside, and wanted to scare Tanaka a little."

"Komachi, after your brother stopped writing god-world diaries and organization reports," Dong Yunshan said, turning to Komachi Hikigaya, "what did he do with the old diaries and reports?"

"He found a big box and solemnly sealed them away." Komachi Hikigaya's eyes flickered. "You mean... that blue object was actually Sasaki's girlfriend?"

"Even if it was fake, the feelings Sasaki invested in it were real. Whether he was sealing it away or saying goodbye, he wanted to bring the girlfriend model he made home." Dong Yunshan shook the string tied around the book. "But if he carried it downstairs directly, Hojo, who was drawing with the door open, would spot him. So he used the method I just mentioned: he wrapped the girlfriend model in blue cloth and hung it outside the Film Research Club's window."

"That way, after scaring away Tanaka outside, he could go outside the Special Building and bring his girlfriend home without Hojo or Tanaka noticing." Komachi Hikigaya suddenly understood. "But because Tanaka was worried about Sasaki's mental state, he didn't see the blue bundle and came upstairs to look for him instead."

"That's why Sasaki reacted like this before leaving the prop room." Dong Yunshan pointed at the handheld console. "Seeing Tanaka worrying about him, Sasaki didn't want to scare him anymore and planned to retrieve the blue bundle."

["I... um... yeah..."] Tanaka stammered in the video. ["Let's go back together."]

["I have something to do."] Sasaki refused coldly.

["Then I'll wait for you."] Tanaka walked into the prop room and found a place to sit.

["...Forget it. We'll talk later."] Sasaki walked out of the prop room. ["Let's go."]

"But Tanaka said he would wait for him, so Sasaki had no choice but to leave with him." Yui Yuigahama finally understood everything. "But on the way out, Tanaka kept following Sasaki, leaving him no chance to retrieve the bundle. Then Tanaka's questions provoked him, so Sasaki deliberately turned the camera toward the Special Building."

Tanaka noticed the blue object and jumped in fright.

Sasaki dragged Tanaka away from the scene. After seeing off the still-shaken Tanaka, he returned and took the bundle away.

"There's one more question!" Komachi Hikigaya raised her hand like an elementary school student. "The bundle was hung so high. How was Sasaki supposed to retrieve it?"

Dong Yunshan: "I..."

Yukino Yukinoshita cut in. "You have a friend?"

"This, I really know how to do." Dong Yunshan picked up a rope, threaded it through the handle of a backpack, looped it around a steel pipe, and tied the two ends together. "As long as you tie a slipknot, this loop can hold the bundle. Then leave one end longer, tie a weight to it, and let it drop to the ground. Pull it from below—"

Dong Yunshan tugged the end of the rope. The knot came undone, the loop became a single rope, and the backpack naturally came free. "Then you can lower the hanging bundle. This is a basic knot. Anyone who can tie shoelaces can do it easily."

"So that's what happened..." Yui Yuigahama quickly ran through the whole sequence in her mind. "No wonder you didn't want to say it at first."

Dong Yunshan's conjecture answered Komachi Hikigaya's questions.

What was the blue object?

Who had put it there, and why?

It could also dispel Tanaka's fears.

But that meant telling Tanaka that Sasaki had pretended to have a girlfriend.

"This conjecture is easy to verify... Just ask Miki what she saw in the prop room, and that will be enough." Komachi Hikigaya lowered her head and repeated what Dong Yunshan had said at the start. "If we guessed wrong, the problem won't be solved. But if we guessed right... that isn't good either."

Just as Dong Yunshan had said while telling the story about his friend:

["I should be honest, but the truth is too sad."]

So sad that... revealing the truth became a form of cruelty.

Komachi Hikigaya raised her head helplessly. "I... what should I do?"

"Contact Miki," Yukino Yukinoshita said in an almost completely level tone. "Ask her to come over."

Yui Yuigahama: "Huh?"

"I knew it would be like this. Just like you." Dong Yunshan looked at Yukino Yukinoshita helplessly. "Is that necessary?"

"It is necessary." Yukino Yukinoshita's gaze was firm. "If Sasaki deliberately frightened Tanaka, then he should be punished. If Sasaki did not do it deliberately, then he should not be falsely accused."

Dong Yunshan raised one eyebrow. "What did you say?"

"I'll only ask one question whose answer I already know." Yukino Yukinoshita swept aside her smooth black hair hanging over her shoulder. "Then, outstanding Dong student, you'll admit defeat."

Volume Two: Club Activities — One in Ten Thousand

"Fine." Dong Yunshan copied Yukino Yukinoshita's earlier pose and crossed his arms over his chest. "If you can really do that, I'll count it as you winning twice."

"Oooh!" Yui Yuigahama's eyes lit up. "Hiratsuka-sensei isn't here, so I'll be the referee this time—I approve! If Little Yukino can make Dong admit defeat with one question, then Little Yukino wins twice. But if she can't, then she loses twice."

"This suddenly got intense..." Komachi Hikigaya stared at the three in bewilderment, not understanding why. "What is going on?"

"This is Little Yukino and Dong's little lo... little game!" Under Dong Yunshan and Yukino Yukinoshita's stares, Yui Yuigahama quickly corrected herself. "The winner can make all sorts of requests of the other person!"

"You Service Club people really know how to have fun..." Komachi Hikigaya stood up. "Miki should be at the Film Research Club right now. I'll go ask whether she's free."

"Oh, right. Tell her one thing." A confident smile appeared on Yukino Yukinoshita's face. "I'll solve Hojo's problem too."

"Huh?" Komachi Hikigaya froze for a moment. She had not expected Yukino Yukinoshita to be able to solve even his drawing-related problem. She agreed and headed for the Film Research Club.

When Yui Yuigahama saw Yukino Yukinoshita take out paper and a pen, she asked in surprise, "Little Yukino, can you draw too?"

"I studied it for three days." Yukino Yukinoshita took out a yellow highlighter used for marking key points and drew a line on the paper.

"Three days... If it's you, three days should be enough to get pretty good. But even with your guidance, Hojo can't improve that quickly, can he?" Yui Yuigahama sounded doubtful. "Are you going to draw it for him?"

Yukino Yukinoshita, who believed that teaching someone to fish was better than giving them fish, should not do something like drawing for another person.

Besides, even if Yukino Yukinoshita drew a better poster, Hojo's troubles would not be resolved.

It was difficult to rank art in the first place. More importantly, Yui Yuigahama felt that what Hojo cared about was not whose poster was better, but that his childhood friend Miki had chosen someone else's work.

"I won't do that." Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head. "And I don't need to."

"Huh?" Yui Yuigahama was completely confused. She was about to ask Dong Yunshan, only to discover that he was playing with his phone.

He seemed to be looking something up.

Not long afterward, Komachi Hikigaya returned to the Service Club with a red-haired girl.

That girl was Miki, whom everyone had seen in the video earlier.

"Hello." Miki greeted everyone, her gaze lingering on Yukino Yukinoshita for a moment.

Most people at Chiba Municipal Soubu High School had heard of this beautiful girl.

Yui Yuigahama waved enthusiastically. "Hi~"

Komachi Hikigaya briefly introduced both sides, and Dong Yunshan brought over a chair for Miki to sit in.

"My question is..." Yukino Yukinoshita handed Miki the paper with a line drawn on it in yellow highlighter. "What color is this?"

"Huh?" Miki blinked. "Pin...k?"

In an instant, every gaze focused on Miki.

The yellow line Yukino Yukinoshita had drawn stood out clearly against the white paper.

Yukino Yukinoshita looked at Dong Yunshan. Under her gaze, he let out a long breath. "I admit defeat."

"Huh?" Yui Yuigahama looked back and forth. "Why is it like this again?"

She had not felt that there was anything obviously wrong with Dong Yunshan's conjecture.

So why had he suddenly admitted defeat?

"Could it be..." Komachi Hikigaya thought of something. "When you dyed your hair before, did the colors genuinely look about the same to you?"

"Dyed hair?" Miki blinked. "Ah... There was only a slight difference in color."

"That's not a slight difference," Yui Yuigahama reminded her. "Ash blonde leans yellow, while hime walnut leans red—huh? Red-green color blindness?!"

"Not red-green color blindness." Dong Yunshan showed them the results he had found on his phone. "It's blue-yellow color blindness, which affects at most one person in ten thousand."

Miki gently bit her lower lip. "I only discovered it recently too."

"Blue-yellow color blindness? So you can't distinguish blue from yellow?" Yui Yuigahama did not understand. "But Miki can't distinguish pink from yellow."

"The name blue-yellow color blindness is somewhat misleading. People with it have difficulty recognizing blue and yellow. It does not mean they cannot tell blue and yellow apart. Rather, they see blue as a kind of green and yellow as a kind of red." Yukino Yukinoshita paused. "In other words, they cannot distinguish red from yellow, and they also have difficulty distinguishing blue from green."

"She can't distinguish red from yellow, so ash blonde and hime walnut looked nearly the same to her." Komachi Hikigaya looked at Yukino Yukinoshita admiringly. "You guessed it just from one thing I said?"

"There are three other pieces of evidence." Yukino Yukinoshita reminded her, "Do you remember the two bottles of Ramune Miki bought in glass bottles?"

Komachi Hikigaya adjusted the video's progress bar to check. "The green melon-flavored one and the blue blueberry-flavored one..."

"You can tell which flavor it is from the soda's color." Yukino Yukinoshita pointed at the handheld console screen. "But when you picked up the soda, you turned the bottles in the plastic bag to look at the labels, right?"

Miki nodded softly.

Yui Yuigahama impatiently asked, "Then what are the other two pieces of evidence?"

Yukino Yukinoshita picked up two posters. "The second is the posters."

Sasaki's poster showed four people, three men and one woman, each with different expressions. Behind them loomed a huge cyan, nearly dark-blue human face.

Hojo's poster was more subtle. It also showed three men and one woman, walking together toward a Western-style mansion surrounded by dense forest.

The forest's shadows had been adjusted to a deep teal. Through the clever arrangement of branches and bushes, they subtly outlined the Blue Demon's silhouette.

"Sasaki's poster directly emphasizes the Blue Demon theme, but Hojo's poster uses the forest's deep teal shadows to outline the Blue Demon." Yukino Yukinoshita tapped the deep teal shadow. "If someone cannot distinguish blue from green, the green bushes and branches would blend together with the deep teal shadows, making them hard to identify, especially when they occupy such a large area."

Komachi Hikigaya suddenly understood. "That's why you didn't choose President Hojo's poster, Miki."

"I didn't see it at first. I thought he hadn't drawn the Blue Demon. A poster should at least have its theme on it." Miki raised her hand and traced a few lines in the air over the poster. "But after I looked more carefully, I noticed it through the contrast of light and dark, so I chose Hojo's drawing afterward... But he still wasn't very happy."

Volume Two: Club Activities — The Third Piece of Evidence