Though Heaven Entrusts Great Responsibilities to a Person Only After... What If They're Headed in the Wrong Direction?

"I don't see it that way..." Sogo Doma had something to say in response to the passionate female teacher's concerns. "As far as I'm concerned, whatever doesn't defeat them will only make them stronger!"

"..." After falling silent for a while, Shizuka Hiratsuka finally said, "What if it does defeat them?"

"Then that proves they aren't true geniuses, nor are they truly exceptional..."

"Doma, not everyone—"

"When Heaven is about to entrust a great responsibility to a person, it must first distress their mind and will, exhaust their muscles and bones, starve their body and skin, empty their person, and frustrate and confound their endeavors..."

"Stop!" Shizuka Hiratsuka's mouth twitched again. "I've read the Zhuangzi too..."

"Oh, so you've read it?" Hearing that, Sogo Doma picked up the thread again. "Then why are you worrying over Yukinoshita? She's merely being overshadowed by her older sister. That's only enough to distress her mind and will..."

"But isn't that too absolute? Besides, times change. We could clearly guide them through gentler methods..."

However, before the passionate female teacher could finish, Sogo Doma said, "Gentler methods?"

"That's right..."

"Shizuka Hiratsuka..." Sogo Doma once more snatched the conversation from the passionate female teacher. "What exactly do you mean by gentle? You don't mean what you consider gentle, do you?"

"Hm?" Shizuka Hiratsuka froze at that. "Doma, what do you mean by that?"

"It's simple..." Seeing that she did not immediately refute him, Sogo Doma once again affirmed her qualities as an educator in his heart before continuing. "What you consider gentle—or rather, kind—might not seem all that kind to the other person. The most obvious example is what you just said, Shizuka Hiratsuka: Yukino's excellence depends on who she's being compared to...

In other words, you think that while Yukino is exceptional, she ultimately