"We lost!"
"More like Shiina from Group 5 and that first-year Amasawa were too strong."
"They got 9 points straight away, and Amasawa even got 10."
"That's kind of insane."
The girls clustered together and started chattering away.
They seemed somewhat upset about losing the match, but that feeling did not last long.
After all, everyone had a pretty good grasp of their own abilities.
And judging from the actual results, that was indeed the case.
Looking at the scores the teachers announced, most examinees got 3 or 4 points, while even 5 points were rare. Yet Amasawa and Shiina had managed to score 9 points. It really was outrageous.
However.
"By the way, Kei, you worked really hard this time," Sato said. "You got 7 points too."
Sato herself had only scored 3 points, so she knew very well just how difficult it was to get 7.
"I think you worked super hard too," said Hasebe, who loved gossip. "I barely got 5 points, and that was already my absolute best. But Karuizawa, this was your first time working with pottery in the previous classes too, and you managed to do this well. Maybe you actually have a real talent for it."
"T-Talent?" Karuizawa seemed somewhat distracted.
Ever since she had walked out of the exam room, she had been looking around. She quickly spotted someone, but after the teacher announced the results, that person had simply left without even saying hello.
It left her with somewhat complicated feelings.
So now, she barely felt like talking with her friends.
"Yeah, talent!"
"We're already third-years, so we have to start thinking about the future," Matsushita said. "Whether it's further education or discovering a field you're naturally good at, you can keep developing in that direction."
"So Kei, why not consider