Yukinoshita's Correction Method

"Yes." Yukino Yukinoshita nodded gently. "Tell her on the way."

-

After the sun completely disappeared, the temperature plummeted and the wind became even stronger.

Along the path from the park to the station, Dong Yunshan recounted the events to Yumiko Miura: "... That's roughly it."

"I see." Yumiko Miura tightened her plaid scarf, her golden curls swaying uneasily in the wind. "Hayato Hayama ... the Humanities Track ..."

"It doesn't feel like a choice, but rather like this is the only choice he would make..." Yui Yuigahama fiddled with her pink bun. "It feels like a standard answer, and he's the kind of person who answers according to the standard answer—what am I even saying?"

"That was his choice." Komachi Hikigaya tilted her head. "And it was a choice that suited him... or something like that?"

"That was a choice he made after considering his own circumstances." Saki Kawasaki glanced at Yumiko Miura. "It was reasonable and only natural."

"Then..." Yumiko Miura looked up at the sky, "I'll choose the Humanities Track too."

Yukino Yukinoshita frowned slightly. "Isn't there a problem with making such a hasty decision?"

Although her tone was gentle, she did not hide the blame in her words.

Yumiko Miura didn't look at her, still gazing up at the starlit sky. "I don't have anything in particular I want to do... If I have to take Science Track subjects for the exams, I can just go to a cram school, right?"

Yukino Yukinoshita pressed her temples as if she had a headache.

Komachi Hikigaya opened her mouth, but then hesitated and stopped herself from speaking.

Yui Yuigahama an approving expression.

Dong Yunshan twitched the corner of her mouth; there was no way to persuade someone about something like this.

It's not fair to say outright that, given Yumiko Miura's current achievements, this idea is a bit too optimistic.

There's even a possibility that they might need to repeat a year and retake the exam.

"Do you have that kind of brain?" Saki Kawasaki glanced at Yumiko Miura, "Don't end up having to retake the exam."

"Saki Kawasaki ..." Yui Yuigahama nervously tugged at the hem of Saki Kawasaki's clothes.

"So you can retake the university entrance exam." Yumiko Miura put her hands behind her back, tiptoed a few steps, and said, "But this matter... there's no second chance."

Komachi Hikigaya looked troubled and gently nudged Dong Yunshan, hoping he could offer some words of advice.

Dong Yunshan was initially puzzled, as she didn't think Komachi Hikigaya was the type to interfere too much in other people's decisions.

Seeing Saki Kawasaki's furrowed brows, Dong Yunshan finally understood.

The optimistic Yui Yuigahama didn't have that many worries.

After realizing Yumiko Miura's resolve, Yukino Yukinoshita didn't say anything more.

But Saki Kawasaki and Komachi Hikigaya are different.

They both have younger brothers, and they are currently preparing for exams.

As the older sister, the two often considered their younger brother's future.

This is why, when it comes to choosing between arts and sciences, the two subconsciously consider things from their family's perspective.

Therefore, it's understandable that I'd want to offer a few more words of advice.

Saki Kawasaki is a very direct person, so she said it outright.

Komachi Hikigaya rarely interferes with other people's decisions, and at this moment she didn't know what to say, so she could only Dong Yunshan for help.

"Just hearing about it makes it clear to me." Dong Yunshan sighed. "The difficulty of getting along with Hayama Hayato is completely different from the difficulty of getting along with Hayato Hayama."

"Of course I know about that..." Yumiko Miura muttered softly, "That kind of thing... how should I put it... includes this part of the difficulty..."

She turned gracefully, the hem of her coat and her dazzling blonde hair fluttering in the wind, a radiant smile spreading across her face, "I think it's fine too~"

Komachi Hikigaya paused for a moment, then smiled with relief, "... That's true."

"Let's make this clear beforehand," Dong Yunshan reminded him with a smile, "We're just helping you complete your request. Don't blame us if you regret it later."

"No way!" Yumiko Miura glared at her sharply.

Her expression changed so quickly, as if the cute girl from just moments ago had never existed.

I don't know if when she said "no," she meant she wouldn't regret it, or that she wouldn't blame others.

"And..." Yumiko Miura stopped and bowed deeply, "Thank you."

"You should be more grateful to yourself for realizing this," Yukino Yukinoshita gently shook her head. "That's also the main reason we were willing to take on this commission."

"I don't understand what you're talking about..." Yumiko Miura muttered in dissatisfaction. "Just say you're welcome."

"I'm sorry," Yukino Yukinoshita sighed softly, "I overestimated your comprehension abilities."

"Huh?" Yumiko Miura's eyes widened. "What do you mean by that?"

"Alright, alright~" Yui Yuigahama wrapped her arms around both of theirs, one in each arm. "Let's go to the celebration party!"

-

The celebration banquet was held in a small restaurant with nice lighting and a great atmosphere. Most of the students had already arrived, laughing and joking as they celebrated the successful conclusion of the Marathon Competition.

Yumiko Miura went straight to Hayato Hayama after entering the store. Yui Yuigahama greeted everyone and followed her, catching up with Yumiko Miura.

After ordering her drink and finding a table to sit down, Saki Kawasaki frowned after only one sip. "The beginning isn't clear enough, the middle isn't natural enough, and the ending isn't clean enough..."

"Well..." Dong Yunshan gestured with his chin toward the crowd, "It's all about the atmosphere."

Saki Kawasaki put down her cup, turned to stare at Dong Yunshan: "I thought you'd say a few more words..."

She paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and turned to look at Yukino Yukinoshita.

Instead of looking at Yukino Yukinoshita's face, he stared straight at her stomach.

"No." Yukino Yukinoshita glared back, her face hard.

"I thought that after you had your own children, Yunshan wouldn't treat others like children anymore." Saki Kawasaki looked away. "So?"

"Your idea is correct, but even Yunshan didn't interfere much with your decision, so why would she interfere with hers?" Yukino Yukinoshita recalled Yumiko Miura's smile, "Especially such a youthful decision."

"That's it," Dong Yunshan sighed. "This is what youth feels like."

"That's true..." Komachi Hikigaya lowered her head, fiddling with the glass in her hand, "If my younger brother made such a choice, I'm always afraid he'd regret it in the future."

"Based on my experience, most decisions made during adolescence are regretted; it's an inevitable part of life." Dong Yunshan blinked. "And this naiveté will ultimately become one of the most unique memories of adulthood."

This feels a bit like the sentimental captions I wrote when I was young and naive.

I was deeply moved at the time, and looking back on it now, I wish I could disappear into a hole.

Even if you delete it, it will remain in your memory. Every time you think of it, you'll let out a strange scream and roll around in bed clutching your blanket.

Then one night, you might suddenly remember it and feel that it was a part of your youth, something that should be kept as a memento, not deleted completely.

Then after a while, you might feel that deleting this action is also an inevitable part of youth.

This process was repeated over and over, gradually transforming past embarrassment and frustration into a faint smile.

Ugh... that's such a sentimental line.

Delete it, delete it.

"Everyone, the food's served!" Yui Yuigahama ran over excitedly. "There's a whole chicken! And it's roasted!"

"That sounds good..." Komachi Hikigaya stood up. "Let's all go over there."

"It should at least be a little better than a beverage," Saki Kawasaki sighed softly.

Yukino Yukinoshita and Dong Yunshan followed.

Halfway there, Dong Yunshan caught a glimpse of Hayama Hayato waving at her out of the corner of her eye.

Dong Yunshan stopped in her tracks. "I'll come over later."

"Mm." Yukino Yukinoshita nodded gently.

"Speak quickly if you have something to say." Dong Yunshan walked over. "Aren't you hungry?"

"There's no rush," Hayama Hayato chuckled. "Just taking up a little more of your time."

"Perfect timing, I'm a little curious too." Dong Yunshan raised one eyebrow. "I can understand your choice, but I don't quite understand why you hid it."

Hayama Hayato laughed, "So, even you have moments when you can't figure things out."

"I just feel it's unnecessary..." Dong Yunshan murmured. "You've been playing the good guy, it wouldn't be hard to come up with a suitable reason, would it?"

"If I were truly a good person, perhaps I would say it," Hayato Hayama said, his smile fading. "But I'm pretending to be a good person, so I absolutely cannot say it."

Chapter 752 On the Way Home

"You really are..." Dong Yunshan pressed his temples as if in pain, "Or should I say, as expected of you? You've twisted yourself to this extent."

"If it were you," Hayama Hayato stared intently at Dong Yunshan, "Could you do better in my situation?"

"That question is invalid," Dong Yunshan answered bluntly. "I would never put myself in that situation."

"That's true..." Hayama Hayato smiled again, "When you sense something is wrong, you immediately try to make changes."

"Otherwise what?" Dong Yunshan rolled her eyes. "Wait until you've worked yourself to death before trying to make changes?"

"You're exaggerating..." Hayama Hayato shook his head with a wry smile, "It shouldn't be that bad, right?"

Dong Yunshan couldn't very well say that's what she thought when she was alive, so she could only casually reply, "Optimism is a good thing."

"Well... I can be a little more optimistic, okay?" Hayama Hayato tightened his grip on the cup. "Since you can help me, perhaps you could too... I know this request might be difficult for you, but thankfully, I'm not exactly a considerate person when it comes to other people's feelings."

"You're being a bit too audacious, talking like you're the good guy." Dong Yunshan clicked her tongue, then said bluntly, "If we're talking about helping Sister Haruno, then this request is just a rehearsal."

"I see..." Hayama Hayato loosened his grip. "So, you were using me to verify the feasibility of the follow-up plan? It seems I was overthinking it."

"I appreciate your kindness." Dong Yunshan punched him lightly. "As for verification, this is just the beginning; there's still a long way to go."

Hayama Hayato hesitated for a moment. "Does this count as me being of some help?"

"During the investigation into your choices, Tobe, Hina Ebina, and Yumiko all provided crucial information." Dong Yunshan swirled the glass in his hand. "I think they were a great help. As for what you think... that's your own business."

"Yunshan ..." Hayama Hayato ginger ale, raised his glass with a smile, "You really are the one who can meet my expectations."

-

After the celebration banquet, on the way home, Yui Yuigahama looked at Dong Yunshan with worry in her eyes and murmured absentmindedly, "Hina Ebina absolutely cannot hear that."

"Of course..." Dong Yunshan paused, looking at Yukino Yukinoshita, who was resting her arm around his, "What's wrong?"

Yukino Yukinoshita, with a stern face, hugged Dong Yunshan even tighter. "It's nothing."

"There's no need to worry about that..." Saki Kawasaki said frankly, "Yunshan has already decided to choose the right path."

"However..." Komachi Hikigaya pondered deeply, "What did Hayato Hayama- kun mean by his last sentence?"

"This is quite a typical case." Dong Yunshan tapped his temple lightly with two fingers together. "What's it called again?" He moved his arm, asking Yukino Yukinoshita, "The one from Jung ..."

Although the winter clothes were thick, Yukino Yukinoshita hugged herself tightly, and even the slightest movement of Dong Yunshan felt particularly... clear.

Yukino Yukinoshita glared at Dong Yunshan with annoyance Yukino Yukinoshita muttered under her breath, "The over-inflated Persona has severely suppressed the Shadow, causing the Individuation to be interrupted."

Yui Yuigahama: "Huh?"

"Psychologist Carl Jung believed that a person is composed of several systems, including the Persona, the shadow, and the Self," Yukino Yukinoshita explained. "The Persona is the public persona presented to the outside world to adapt to society and be accepted by others; it's like a mask protecting the true self."

"This mask isn't singular; at home, you act like a parent; on campus, you act like a student; at work, you act like a leader... all of these fall under the Persona," Dong Yunshan added. "Under normal circumstances, switching Persona can help us more easily cope with various complex situations in life. However, if any single persona becomes overly inflated for various reasons, it can become a problem. For example, putting on a leader's airs at home, acting like a workplace elite at school, or having a student's mindset in the workplace..."

"So..." Yui Yuigahama understood quickly, "Hayato Hayama's Persona is that of a good person. It was originally a tool for him to adapt to his environment, but now it has become his only identity, causing him to devote all his energy to maintaining this mask, and in the end, he is completely controlled by the mask?"

"Hmm?" Dong Yunshan was genuinely surprised. "You understand it so thoroughly?"

"I've been through a similar period too~" Yui Yuigahama smiled shyly, her eyes sparkling. "If I hadn't met you guys, I might be like this now, afraid to face reality and afraid to express my true feelings."

"This is the shadow," Yukino Yukinoshita explained. "It's the part of the mind that the conscious self perceives as negative, something undesirable, something repressed and rejected into the unconscious. It contains primal, instinctive traits that don't conform to social norms or one's ideal image, such as aggression, greed, jealousy, and selfishness. The shadow isn't all bad; it also contains vitality, creativity, and the true self, just existing in an untamed form. Compared to the concrete Persona, it's more like a deep, blurry, and chaotic black shadow."

"Wait a minute," Dong Yunshan moved her arm again, "Shouldn't we be going along with Yui Yuigahama's words and saying something touching right now?"

Yukino Yukinoshita pursed her cherry lips and turned her head to one side.

Dong Yunshan chuckled, "Shyness can also be considered a form of shadow manifestation."

"So..." Komachi Hikigaya pondered deeply, "Hayato Hayama's shadow is everything that contrasts with his good-guy facade: aggression, selfishness, indifference, unwavering decisiveness, and direct confrontation with conflict. He sees these as bad, as things he shouldn't have."

"So he can't really solve the problem," Saki Kawasaki clenched her fist, "That's what he meant by needing a tough attitude and decisiveness."

"But the power of the shadows doesn't disappear; it will seize every opportunity to try and release the repressed parts. And its gap is its sense of morality." Dong Yunshan's eyes were deep. "A perfectly good person will give a perfect reason to make everything seem perfect. So, to pretend to be a good person, you need to give a real reason that a good person would give. But if you give a real reason, you can't pretend to be a good person. If you don't give a real reason, you're not pretending to be a good person—you're stuck in two places at once."