There's a few more moments where Minako just seems to grumble as she's mopping the floor, but then it seems that Steph's question does get through to her.

Enough for her to glance back at the other girl over her shoulder, anyway, which shows that she did actually hear the question.

"Well, yeah." Of course she has regular attacks too, but-- "It's not exactly a smart idea to punch or kick something that's actively trying to bite down on you though, right?"

That's how they got trouble like the one that decided to latch onto Steph's ankle. (And also, yes, Minako was putting more strategy into this entire thing than it seemed like. Though it's hard to tell with how ditzy she acts most of the time.)

"It's just that the magic here is so much more unpredictable than back home. It was much easier to aim some precise shots there!"