They all have hidden attributes!

Making tofu is not only troublesome, but also requires a high level of environmental control, so it's understandable that people would think this way.

"That's part of the reason, um... because it's something my parents gave me."

Mieko Jingu seemed unwilling to bring up the topic; a shadow fell over her gentle face. She then raised her head to meet Makoto Takahashi's gaze, forcing out a soft voice:

“My father used to be a chef at an izakaya on this street. My mother married him because of this connection. They taught me to cook at a very young age, so for me, this is my happiest memory.”

Makoto Takahashi nodded thoughtfully, while Maya Uesugi showed no interest in the topic and asked coldly, "Can we begin?"

“Ms. Uesugi, generally speaking, in a draw, the two sides will roll a piece to determine who goes first.”

Jingu Mieko picked up five pawns from the chessboard, dropped them on the dining table, and patiently explained: "If the two sides are not of equal status, the player in the lower position should make the first move. This is a matter of magnanimity."

"I understand."

Maya Uesugi nodded almost imperceptibly and asked directly, "Are there any tactics with a high winning rate for going first or second?"

"Generally speaking, the first player has a slightly higher chance of winning, but these external factors are not what truly determine the outcome."

Based on the result of the game, Lady Jingu asked Uesugi Maya to go first: "The more important thing is to understand the situation. Actually, I don't quite understand it either, but everyone says so."

"What's the situation?" Uesugi Maya made her moves according to the established pattern.

“In shogi, there are 11.6 trillion possible moves from the first to the ninth move alone. Therefore, in the opening moves, everyone will play according to the [best moves] accumulated in the past, which is called the fixed pattern.”

Jingu Mieko's eyes darkened slightly, and her smile became somewhat forced: "So when interpreting, you have to rely on your feelings and intuition, or in simple terms, your gut feeling. Of course, there are also more despairing answers."

"What is it?" Makoto Takahashi asked curiously.

"Talent, because I do not possess such talent, it is difficult for me to explain."

Mieko Jingu sighed and continued, "It's probably due to the way they interpret the moves. Talented players can predict a difference in moves very early on and win the game. The clarity of the chessboard in their minds is also completely different."

"In my opinion, even without reading the text, I can grasp the movement on the board and sense the attack range of the pieces."

The explanation was vague and unclear, and Uesugi Maya frowned, staring at the chessboard with a puzzled look on her face.

After a brief silence, seeing that she still hadn't made her next move, Mieko Jingu took a sip of tea and said softly, "Close your eyes, concentrate, and judge your skill by visualizing the chessboard in your mind."

“…It’s blurry and unclear,” said Maya Uesugi.

"Therefore, we must confirm with our own eyes before we can think further, and talented people are completely different from us."

"Really?" Takahashi Makoto closed his eyes, half believing and half doubting.

The image of the chess game between Uesugi Maya and Jingu Mieko flashed through his mind, clearly showing the chessboard, where he could continue to play as many pieces as he wanted.

Based on the current state of the game and the analysis of the next moves, several ways to kill the game were easily found.

Opening his eyes, just as he was about to continue the discussion, Makoto Takahashi saw Hina Nekoya sitting opposite him, and his expression gradually darkened.

"Yinna?" He cast a worried glance at her.

Several people turned to look at the same time. Nekoya Hina wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and turned to Hanakawa Kaori with an incredulous look:

"Hanaori, what does the basketball court look like in your mind? What about your sense of position and ball trajectory?"

"Huh? Aren't we all the same?"

Hanakawa Kaori tilted her head dismissively, her tone relaxed: "I haven't studied the trajectory of the shuttlecock much. Just follow your body's instincts during the match. Playing badminton is boring."

Such an unremarkable attitude was far too cruel to Hina Nekoya.

The reason for the gap lies in talent; therefore, even if the same effort is made, some people will still not be rewarded.

Makoto Takahashi clearly recalled Hanakawa Kaori's state during the match; her eyes were vacant, and she was playing entirely by instinct. At the time, he found it a bit scary.

"Oh, so I'm the kind of person who lacks talent too?" Hina Nekoya said, offering a despairing answer as if unwilling to accept it.

"Can't Hina-nee see any possible flight paths?" Hanakawa Kaori asked, her eyes wide.

"How could you possibly see that?" Hina Nekoya replied with a surprised tone.

"From the other person's footsteps, the arc of their wave, hmm—you can still sense something?"

Hanakawa Kaori stammered, sounding unsure of herself, while Nekoya Hina gave her a [Really?] look: "Huh?"

The discussion about [talent] has extended from shogi to badminton, completely deviating from the original topic of [tactics].

Uesugi Maya then curled her fingers and tapped the table, making a crisp sound, to steer the conversation back on track: "In terms of tactics, isn't there any way to improve the win rate?"

Faced with her sharp gaze, Mieko Jingu pondered for a long time before cautiously offering her suggestion:

"If the opponent is a newbie, you can consider going first and attacking the cave bear."

The Cave Bear, as the name suggests, is as difficult to drive away as a bear in a cave. It is a formation with extremely high defense, which is completely impossible for beginners to break, and it really tests one's mentality.

"What should I do when facing a cave bear with my back to the front?" Uesugi Maya pressed.

"Zhenfei Che's formation is better."

"So what should we do when facing the Zhenfei Car?"

"The situation with Zhenfei is very chaotic, and we can only rely on interpretation, which ultimately comes down to talent."

Jingu Mieko took another sip of tea and said slowly, "It takes computers several days to calculate the moves, but talented people can find the path to victory within the time it takes to play a game."

Judging from her expression, the reward event was indeed hell.

In the following time, Maya Uesugi asked [Anakuma] for advice on his ideas and experience. Makoto Takahashi saw Hina Nekoya hanging her head dejectedly and got up to go over to her.

"Yin Cai, you look a little pale," he asked in a low voice.

"No, it's nothing."

Hina Nekoya instinctively tried to hide it, turning her head to meet his worried gaze, slowly letting her guard down: "It's just that we lost a game today."

"A very important match?"

"No, well, the coach originally wanted me to play in a match on Sunday, but another girl also wanted a spot. I knew the coach was favoring me and the other girl would be upset, so I suggested the winner go, and then—"

As a result, they were utterly defeated and lost their spot in the competition. The coach's expression was also very unpleasant, which indirectly confirmed her favoritism.

Hearing the topic of "talent" again tonight, it's hard for Nekoya Hina not to overthink it.

She had never beaten Kashima Reiko and Hanakawa Kaori before. After joining the youth training group, she thought she was very strong, but found out that the coach was biased.

I can't lift my head; I won't even have the face to go to training tomorrow.

"It's not necessarily related to talent; the other person probably has more experience."

Makoto Takahashi patted her on the shoulder and said in a deliberately relaxed tone, "Besides, there's sponsorship, isn't there? That means everyone has high hopes for your future."

"Sponsorship, I guess."

Hina Nekoya raised her hand and touched her head, her chestnut-brown single ponytail swaying gently, just like her wavering emotions.

The sponsors are all companies from the Lijian family, which are conglomerates and are hard to miss.

Because they had other plans for the evening, the four of them didn't stay at the Jingu family's house for too long. Shinjuku was very lively at night. Takahashi Makoto's only regret was that he had never been to Shinjuku 2-chome.

I didn't have the money to go before, then I didn't have the time, and now I don't have the courage.

Sorry.

After buying ice cream for Hanakawa Kaori, the four of them went to the arcade and had fun until late at night. Takahashi Makoto declined Nekoya Hina's invitation to stay overnight and took the last train back to Toshima Ward with Uesugi Maya.

Under the pitch-black night sky, Maya Uesugi's slender and supple body, wrapped in a black coat, crossed the pedestrian overpass, with sparse car headlights flowing past beneath her feet.

"Aya, what's your opinion on talent?" Takahashi Makoto asked casually.

She slowly turned around, her face cold, and said in a disdainful tone, "I've said it before, the line between talent and hard work isn't clear."

"The difference between those who reap rewards for their efforts and those who fail to achieve their goals lies in talent," Takahashi Makoto said, gazing ahead with certainty.

Even with the same level of effort, the rewards received by each person are still different.

"so?"

"The professional world is cruel. Hina could have been unfoundedly confident, believed in her talent, and had only bright dreams in her eyes."

Girls of this age probably dream of becoming princesses and possessing unparalleled talents.

Except for Maya Uesugi, Makoto Takahashi thought to himself.

Because he had never interacted with other archery players, he didn't know if he had the talent for archery, but in terms of oil painting, if it weren't for the system, no matter how hard he tried, he probably couldn't compare to Shiraishi Junka.

“I still think this is not good,” he suddenly said.

"What?" Uesugi Maya asked, frowning.

"After endless efforts, all that remains is despair."

"Reality is just that cruel."

The two chatted as they walked into the apartment building and easily arrived at the Uesugi family's door.

Uesugi Maya took out her key and opened the door. Without asking him if he was staying overnight, she took off her shoes and coat in the entryway and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Makoto Takahashi reached into her coat pocket, pulled out her phone, unlocked the screen with Maya Uesugi's birthday, and quickly tapped the screen to send a text message to Mieko Jingu.

Before I could delete the records, the bathroom door suddenly opened.

What are you doing standing there?

Maya Uesugi looked over suspiciously, and Makoto Takahashi naturally put his phone into his pocket, then quickly came up with a solution: "I'm looking for tutorials on how to blow-dry a girl's hair."

"Tsk, never mind."

Uesugi Maya turned her face away and touched her burning earlobe: "The bath water will be ready soon, come over quickly."

"Shall we shower together?"

"You go first."

Go take a shower first; she might then discover her phone is missing.

Makoto Takahashi looked at her with deep affection and said, “Go wash up first. I’ll study hard first as compensation for getting your hair dirty last night.”

"Ha, trash." Uesugi Maya uttered a curse, but her voice sounded unusually pleased.

After she turned and went into the bathroom, Makoto Takahashi deleted all the records, put his phone back where it was, and then started planning his weekend itinerary.

I'm still a little worried about Hina Nekoya. I'll go check on her at the youth training group tomorrow.

Not long after, the tightly closed bathroom door quietly opened, and in the damp steam, Uesugi Maya's cold voice rang out.

"Come in."