"Why did you fail...?" "Why would you think I'd pass?" The Reason Behind the Brilliant Maomao's Failure in the Paper Test in "The Apothecary Diaries"

The anime "The Apothecary Diaries" follows the story of the protagonist, Maomao (voiced by Aoi Yuki), who uses her extensive knowledge as an apothecary and deep insight to solve various incidents. One would assume that Maomao excels in academics as well. However, this is not entirely the case, as she easily fails an exam in episode 13.

After being dismissed from the inner palace, Maomao is brought back to the court by Jinshi (voiced by Takeo Otsuka), who asks her to take the exam to become a court lady.

While Catcat possesses an extraordinary talent when it comes to poisons and medicines, she herself admits that her memory for things she isn't interested in is below average. Before the exam, she was guided around the palace by the military officer Gaoshun (voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi), who taught her the names of buildings and departments. However, her concentration wavered, and she found herself thinking, "There were definitely more ingredients for medicine in the inner palace..." as she looked at plants growing by the roadside. With such a mindset, Maomao failed the exam. Jinshi, exasperated, asked, "Why did you fail?" to which Catcat calmly replied, "Why would you think I'd pass?" Ultimately, Maomao became a maid attached to Jinshi's quarters.