“Don’t you think elder sister has been acting a bit strange lately?”

“Oh, whatever do you mean, Medusele-...Medusa?”

“Haven’t you noticed, elder sister? You’ve surely realized she’s been spending more time with Master than with you of late, but...there also seems to be something more between them, perhaps, don’t you think?”

“Asterios, opinions?”

“Yes...Lady Euryale...”

“I have...seen lady Stheno...around Master...with a strange...expression...”

“I think it...resembles the one...Lady Euryale...sometimes make...around me...”

The giant gently smiled as he said this, and the goddess sitting on his shoulder turned her face away from his in a flash, suddenly flustered by the giant’s unguarded, honest words.

“A-Anyway, perhaps we should go and check on her, just in case? I’m sure it’s nothing we need to worry about, but...I want to help me (Stheno) if I can…

“Then, I suppose we should go look for her, elder sister.”

“Yes. Asterios, if you would.”

“Yes...Lady Euryale.”

And so they searched the usual places for a little while, without success. Until Medusa suddenly recalled something Mashu had mentioned in the morning:

”Senpai is a little tired from farming the lottery event till late last night, so she’ll be spending the day resting. Though if she does want to do something later, she’ll probably go farming for QP, so stay somewhere I can find you if needed, Medusa.”

“So, if Master is resting, then perhaps...”

“Indeed. Thank you, Medusa. Let’s look there next.”

And so the three of them snuck towards their Master’s room, trying to appear inconspicous...a difficult task indeed when one of them is one of the largest people in Chaldea.

Nevertheless, they managed to make their way to their destination relatively free of curious on-lookers, and stood in front of the door, preparing themselves.

As they carefully opened the door enough to peer inside unnoticed, what they saw inside the room was…

...The Goddess, sitting by the bed’s side, poking the cheek of her sleeping Master, and smiling contentedly. Their Master lay snugly on the bed, currently resting on her side and subtly smiling, almost as if her subconscious was picking up on the situation for her. But it was the smile on their sister’s face that caught the attention of the two intruders and their tag-along, as they whispered to each other to keep from being noticed.

“Lady Stheno...smiling?”

“That’s kind of her thing, though...”

“Not...what I meant...”

“That smile...genuine...”

“I don’t feel any magic in it, elder sister. That smile is completely sincere. But I've never seen her like this before...”

“That’s...extraordinary. For me (Stheno) to make such a face...I wonder if it indeed means-”

But her words were cut short, as at that very moment, the Goddess turned around, and looked right at them, as if she knew they were there the whole time. And her smile, earlier so serene...changed.

“I think we should...run. Away, right now. And never mention we saw this to anyone”, the goddess on the giant’s shoulder said to her co-conspirators.

Medusa, shivering in fear and already turning to leave, lightly took hold of Asterios’ hand and started running as fast as she could, the giant not quite grasping the amount of danger they just found themselves in. While their sister had grown slightly more mellow recently, both Euryale and Medusa were well aware just how terrifying their sister could be when she set her mind to it.

...And thus, the Goddess’ secret moment would indeed go unreported to anyone.

------------------------

Meanwhile, back in their Master’s room, confident that her sisters and their tag-along had left, the Goddess once again pondered what to do.

“Indeed, it seems obvious that this useless Master will take forever to take things forward. In that case...”