The Three Friendly Gorgon Sisters

Oh? Isn't that...?

Hellooo, Medusa. Quit spacing out.

That tea is way beyond steeped. We don't want bitter tea!

You're right. The moment of tea perfection has already passed. If only you were the normal Medusa...

She may be gangly and graceless, but at least she never missed the right time to pour the tea.

You should be more mindful of your size. Some things you can't do on speed alone.

My apologies, big older sister, little older sister. I was too focused on the hourglass...

Here is your tea. Little older sister prefers one scoop of sugar, correct?

Yes. Just a bit...only a little bit...

That will be enough, Medusa. We shall have our tea.

...Hey, what IS this!? This tastes terrible!

You mustn't be so harsh, me. Our younger sister is doing her best.

Then again, it is truly disgusting. The problem isn't how it was made, but that she used bad tea leaves.

Medusa. Where did you get this tea from?

I-I'm terribly sorry! I used a pretty golden can that I found in the reception room.

I see. At least you took some minimal effort. But if you want to find good tea, go to the doctor's clinic.

That man stashes away good Chinese tea. You should also learn how to properly prepare tea from him.

I hate Chinese tea. You can only mix honey with it! ...I-I mean...

If you are to steep black tea, you should use soft water that's free of minerals. Why in the world did you decide to use hard water, Medusa?

...Um, was that bad?

I thought it was for the best to splurge on mineral water...

Mineral water!? What a terrible rookie mistake, even for you, Medusa!

You must go to Japan. Japan! You shall learn about soft water, and the proper essential rules for preparing black tea there!

...I see. Please forgive me for being so ignorant...

...It appears the sisters are having tea.

Whenever the young Medusa is with us...

...she seems so mature and composed...

But watching her right now, she seems to be acting her age, or at least the age she appears to be.

Although...

Oh, it's Master and Mash. Are you here because you missed us so?

So much that even a brief moment apart is agony? Teehee, you are so cute, Master.

Oh...hello, Master, Mash.

？！

N-no, absolutely not. This is all because of how immature I am!

And...actually, I'm a little happy about...this. There's no problem.

...?

To tell you the truth, it took a very long time for me to be able to speak to my sisters, even after I was summoned to Chaldea.

Until now, all I could do was watch from afar...because I was scared.

I was created by an irregularity in history.

I'm here as a product of a miraculous coincidence and humanity's warped timeline...

I am the Medusa who is not an Anti-Hero...someone who should never have existed in the first place.

And I had no idea how my older sisters would react when they saw me.

I wouldn't have known what to do had they ignored me, or if they said I was not their younger sister...

？！

Oh, please don't look so glum, Master.

It turned out that I was worrying needlessly.

My older sisters call me by my name and treat me as their younger sister.

And that...makes me happy.

I-I see... Um, if I may point out...

Since Stheno and Euryale are goddesses...

...we know that they have a tendency to be very...intense and often make impossible requests...

And, well, when it comes to their treatment of Medusa... Um, it seems they don't really hold back when it comes to their own family...

Sometimes it's painful to see what unfolds...

Family members...I see...

...

But perhaps it's all right if Medusa doesn't mind...

？！

You're...right...

Hellooo! How much longer are you two going to be whispering over there!?

Mash, Master, would you two like some tea? I'll have to warn you that it will be a poor cup of tea prepared by our failure of a younger sister.

I will prepare it right away. Please wait a minute.

You really are impossible, Medusa. Get us some new snacks, too. I know there are some on top of the cabinet over there.

We cannot possibly reach them ourselves, frail and delicate as we are, but you're a huge woman whose nickname was Big Mountain of the Shapeless Isle...

Um, I'll need to borrow this step stool...

And stack these boxes...

(Huff...puff...) Reeeach...got it!

...

You know, thinking on it, I believe we stored a cookie jar under the floor.

But, Medusa, be careful of that enormous body of yours. You might get stuck down there if you so much as stretch your arms or legs.

Here, right? I can't reach, so I'll just crawl under to find it... (Rummage, rummage) ...Whew. I found it.

...

...Is something the matter?

...Agh! This is so frustrating!

Why is this Medusa so small!?

...I wonder. This form...it seems to be how I was before Athena cursed me.

It's frustrating that I'm so young and powerless, but...

...I am still happy.

I didn't get to spend much time with my sisters in this form, you see...

Having a chance to spend time with them like this is so new to me...

...I see. I know that Medusa was concerned that her form is an irregular one...

But it appears that it's not all bad.

Happy, you say, Medusa? Did you hear that, me?

I did hear that, me. I can hardly believe what our foolish sister just said.

I heard her saying she's happy to take OUR role as the small, cute goddess for herself!

Wha...!? N-no! That wasn't what I meant!

Oh...oh, my. How could you treat your older sisters this way, when all we've done was treat you with kindness and compassion...

True... But such an idea as this couldn't be something Medusa concocted alone.

There must be someone else who should be persecuted as her coconspirator...

？！

The Master is responsible for their Servants. Isn't that how it works here?

This entire Servant system is wrong to begin with.

To have goddesses like ourselves manifest in this world only to be used as Servants to fight is just such a horrid idea.

We aren't able to fight, and we could starve if we were left alone. We are the eternal girls who cannot live without help from others... That is who we are.

Oh...perhaps that's why...

...?

Medusa has manifested in this world with our usual cuteness. We manifested here with the power to fight, something that isn't really innate to us.

There is a possibility that the three of us took the attractive features away from one another to make it our own.

...I see. What a profound statement, me. Then we must confirm your hypothesis!

Yes, let's move to a different location, me.

...? Um, big older sister and little older sister...to where?

Quiet, you! You don't get to refuse.

...Where are we?

This is Chaldea's training ground.

We can go all-out here.

Yes, just something to punish our younger sister and Master who took something precious away from us and gave us something useless in exchange.

I'll warn you that you mustn't hold back, Medusa. We're doing this to test out fighting abilities, too.

B-but...!

Now, let's begin.

Honestly, playing with our little sister like this is new to us, too!

...

I can't believe! They really hit us!

Ah... So, it's true... No one likes us...

To be defeated by the cute, stylish, and maybe overly romantic version of our younger sister...

Y-you have it all wrong, big older sister and little older sister! You said I shouldn't hold back...

We were just saying that! Ugh, do we have to spell EVERYTHING out for you!?

The younger sister CANNOT be better than her older sisters!

Ow...ow...

Oh...she's pulling Medusa's cheek really hard...

...Now that I think about it, using Charm against Medusa was pointless.

A-actually! It hit me really good! B-because...well...because my older sisters were too cute...it was so intense...

Oh? How could you let such lies pass through your lips? How dare you!?

Ow...ow...ah...ahh...

Oh...and now they're tugging her other cheek...

But now we know...our battle skills really are only so-so.

Yes. It appears violent battles really are Medusa's only skill.

...Of course. If something were to happen, I would step in to solve the problem, and be sure to do so without bothering my older sisters.

But I'm sorry... With this small body of mine, I'm not sure how much I can be of help...

Oh, my. Did you hear that, me?

Medusa just flat-out admitted that she stole the title of cutest goddess from us.

Oh yes, I heard, me.

Isn't that like boasting you got paid, even though you skived off work? I believe that's quite unfair.

It may be nice...but let's put that topic aside. There is just one thing I can't accept as the older sister.

I really must say that we simply must do something about you being so small. It's not right to have you be the same size as us.

Well...isn't that just something that can't be changed...?

...

Oh, I know. I vaguely remember being with a super big person recently.

Our problem is because the three of us are lined up together.

If there was another person who is even bigger, Medusa's annoying short stature shouldn't stand out.

Good idea. But is there someone who would fit the bill?

Leave it to me! We're at the training ground. If I do this...and press this...

Ah...um, Euryale! That button starts up the training program...!

I know. I'm just bringing up something big to test our theory. I'm as smart as I am cute... You know, I sometimes scare myself♪

Size? MAX, of course! Difficulty? I don't know what that means, but "Super Difficult Mode" sounds good!

U-um!

That'll do it. And...start♪

...Huh?

Me. It's big, but I think it's TOO big...

...!!!

I think...maybe...all that button mashing made it go berserk! It's coming at us without any limiters!

...Older sisters, watch out!

Begone...! I won't let you lay a finger on my sisters!

...Whew. I managed to defeat them. How are my older sisters...?

Oh...I'm so glad...

Medusa!? Oh no... She's collapsed from her wounds...!

But we lack the first aid here...

The best thing to do is to transport her to an appropriate place for treatment, Senpai. Let's go.

？！

I can't believe she went down before us. Look at that face... She looks like she thinks she just did something really great.

...I agree. She shouldn't look so smug.

U-um, she's injured, so would you please not pull her cheek right now?

We need to take her to the infirmary. Please, step aside...I'm going to...

No need. This is the result of our foolish younger sister's carelessness. It's something her family should take care of.

Indeed. Making her two older sisters go through so much trouble...she really is a dumb, clumsy, and good-for-nothing younger sister.

If Mash takes her, she won't know how much trouble she caused for us when she finally wakes up, now will she?

For her to owe us...to remind her that she will always be beneath her older sisters, I will carry her. I don't want to, but I will.

(Oh...they've lined up side-by-side...and the two of them are carrying Medusa on their backs...)

Unhhh...older...sisters...

...If there's a silver lining for Medusa having this form...

Yes... If she was a giant, the two of us wouldn't have been able to carry her like this.

...If she was a giant, what would we have done...?

...We probably would have rolled her like a barrel.

...Senpai. There are times when watching Stheno and Euryale's banter worries me...

But I feel that a lot of the reason they behave that way is because of the absolute, unwavering confidence in their bonds with each other.

？！

Yes. Even if one of them looks different than before, the fact that they are family will never change.

No matter what, they are a trio of sisters who get along very well!