Underutilized talent with 才能

Kanji Explanation: Ability and capability with 能

During a free day from training, Touwata and Mizubashou approach Tsubaki to request a favor. She would like Tsubaki to challenge Benisumomo to a one-on-one fight.

トウワタ:: 「そのですね…　ベニセンパイは才能(さいのう)があるのにそれにかまけて、ぜんっぜん努力(どりょく)しないんです。」; “Well, you see... Beni-senpai has talent, but she takes it for granted and doesn't put in any effort at all.”; 「いっつも一人(ひとり)で昼寝(ひるね)するってどっか行(い)って。」; “She always go off somewhere to take a nap alone.”

Key Points

才能(さいのう) = “talent” here means natural ability
- 才能(さいのう) refers to innate aptitude rather than a skill someone mainly built through practice
- Here, ベニセンパイは才能(さいのう)がある sets up the complaint: Beni-senpai already has the natural ability
それにかまけて = “resting on that” and neglecting other effort
- Ⓐにかまけて means “to get wrapped up in Ⓐ and neglect something else”
- それ refers back to 才能(さいのう), so the idea is: she is coasting on her talent
- A natural full reading is: 才能(さいのう)があるのに、それにかまけて、努力(どりょく)しない → “Even though she has talent, she leans on that and doesn’t make an effort.”
いっつも…ってどっか行(い)って is very casual spoken narration
- いっつも is a casual, chatty version of いつも
- 一人(ひとり)で昼寝(ひるね)するって uses って as a casual quote marker: “saying she’s going to nap alone”
- どっか is casual どこか (“somewhere”), and どっか行(い)って means she goes off somewhere
- A fuller reconstruction is: 『一人(ひとり)で昼寝(ひるね)する』って、どこかへ行(い)って。