Yes, It's Excitement

"Almond Eye."

After wiping down the last stool, Kitasan Black straightened up and set the rag beside the bucket. She turned to look at Almond Eye, who was still wiping the tableware beneath the veranda.

"Hmm?" Almond Eye looked up at her without stopping her work, blinking as she met her gaze.

Kitasan Black walked over and sat on the edge of the veranda beside Almond Eye, lightly resting her back against a pillar.

"Let me ask you something."

She looked at the stone lantern shining in the moonlit courtyard, her tone casual, as if making idle conversation. "Before a race—or when you're about to face a really strong opponent—have you ever had that sort of..."

"Mm, that feeling where your heart suddenly sinks? Where you feel like maybe you can't do it... that hesitation of thinking, 'What if I can't pull this off?'"

Almond Eye stopped wiping the plate and set it on her lap, tilting her head as she thought about it seriously.

"No." Her answer came quickly and decisively.

"Not even once?" Kitasan Black turned to look at her, somewhat surprised.

"Yep! Not once!"

Almond Eye shook her head, her eyes clear. "The stronger the opponent, the harder the track, the more I feel—"

She paused, seemingly searching for a more precise word. Then her eyes brightened slightly. "Excited! Yes, excited!

"At times like that, I think, 'Ah, it's finally here.' All I can think about is how to break through, how to find a way to win. How could I possibly think I can't do it first?"

Kitasan Black froze, looking at Almond Eye's matter-of-fact expression.

A few seconds later, the corners of her lips slowly curved into a faint smile.

"I see..." she said softly, as though savoring those words. "The stronger the opponent... the