He can't help but laugh at that, the motion is so startling and Minami is just so... over the top. It feels... weirdly good, like something's shaken loose in his chest, even though the laugh itself is quiet and subdued.

"Hard work isn't always enough, though," he says, quietly, and it's maybe a little more upset sounding than he wants to be with a competitor, but he really is kind of falling apart since the GPF. "But I'm sure you'll get there," he adds, just in case Minami somehow thinks that's aimed at him.