"Persistence?"
"Yes..." Sogo Doma nodded. "In my opinion, Aoyama possesses that very quality: persistence."
"Eh?" Nanami Aoyama froze at his words. "M-Me? Um, what were you just talking about?"
"Basically..." Sogo Doma translated it for her. "Aoyama, if you suffer hardship and steel your resolve, then judging by how you work part-time jobs everywhere, you probably haven't been recognized, right? As for the rest..."
Nanami Aoyama: "..."
No, no, that was clearly talking about her! W-Why could someone describe her circumstances so accurately? W-Was this the culture of the Celestial Empire?
Mafuyu Kirisu, however, said, "If persistence alone could bring success, then what about me? Why..."
"Persistence is only one part of it; proper training is another..." Sogo Doma interrupted. "Forgive my presumptuousness, but Kirisu-sensei, are you sure you ever received proper scientific guidance?"
"What do you mean? At the very least, I..."
"Your foot was injured before, wasn't it?"
"..." This student was far too terrifying. That was right—she had left the field because of a foot injury, and years of effort had been rendered worthless because of it. Even after recovering, she had already reached the end of her career, and on top of that...
As she recalled the past, Sogo Doma spoke again. "Let's not dwell on the past..." He had no choice; she was practically about to make a face like she was questioning her entire life, so it was time to move on.
"Allow me to be presumptuous once more. If Kirisu-sensei truly believes talent determines everything, then why did you ask us to teach you how to do housework just now?"
Mafuyu Kirisu: "???"
"What do you mean?"
"Frankly speaking, judging from your performance just now, your talent for housework is probably close to zero..."
Nanami Aoyama: "..."
Ah... well...
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "..."
So