FHA Mirror of Kibisis (EN)

I'll go visit Rider.
She's probably reading as usual.

“Hey, Rider, I...”
“..................”

Oh, great timing.
"Are you free right now?" ...Just as I'm about to ask her that, she slips right by me.

“Huh...?”
As if she has something to do, she walks by rapidly.
Oh well, so much for that. Maybe I'll just drink some tea by myself.

“Yes... It is about today's appointment... No.”

...I've run into Rider again.
I'll make some tea for her too, just in case.
Since the teapot's still full of hot water, I quickly brew some roasted green tea.

“Yes, is there an opening this afternoon?
As to the stylist... Yes, please tell her I am in her debt.
Then, 3 o'clock it is. Thank you.”

Stylist?
...I bring the tea into the living room and offer some to Rider.

“Rider, were you on the phone?”
“Yes. With the beauty salon.”

“――――――”
I'm not sure what I'm so surprised about, but the revelation does drive me into a temporary stupor.
...Well, Rider is a woman in her prime after all. It's no surprise she'd go to a salon, but... for a beauty like her to go to the same place in Miyama frequented by Homurahara students...?

“Salon? You mean the one in Miyama?”
“Yes. The length of my hair makes it very difficult for me to care for it by myself.
I get it done about twice a week.”

“..................”
...Rider's hair...
Now that I think about it, I suddenly feel like touching her ever waving, smooth strands of hair.
...It would be so nice to run my hands through them, just once... No, down boy. That's a good way to get yourself killed.

“Mmm? So your hair grows?”
“No, but it does become disheveled... And...”

Rider sips at her tea.

“When I turn back from spirit to physical form, my hair returns to its original state.”

“Then, why don't you just do tha――”

“I do not wish to be a burden on Sakura over something as trivial as hair.
...Therefore, even if it is truly bothersome, I must take care of my hair myself.
Frankly, having it disorganized also puts me in a bad mood.”

“Oh. Being a woman sounds tough in more ways than one.”
“Thank you for your concern, Shirou.
However, I would like you to put Sakura's well-being ahead of mine. I am merely her Servant and nothing more.”

“Sakura would be happy to have you show concern for her.
And I am happy to see you two together.”
“Uh... I-I see... I'll do my best.”

“Yes, I realize it may be even harder than fighting in a battle, but please try your best... On a trivial side note, that is the side of you that I enjoy watching myself, as well.”
“Gugh.”
She said something scary a little too easily.

“U-Um, okay, I'll be extra considerate towards Sakura, then.
So, what about Tohsaka? I wonder if she also visits a salon?”
“I don't believe she needs your concern.”
That was quick.

“...Please do not take it the wrong way.
Rin is the type of person who does not like to have her effort seen. Having her beauty-related issues exposed to you, Shirou, would certainly hurt her pride.”
“Aaah... I see.”
A swan's feet... Is what they say.
As for the remaining members of the women's squad――

“Then what about Saber?”
“That is a more delicate situation. If I were to tell her to go, a fight would surely ensue, but she would probably be a lot more open to the suggestion coming from you.”
It is indeed quite difficult to predict how it would unfold.
She would probably say something along the lines of... "I like this hairstyle," or possibly, "Other hairstyles do not fit me."

“Then how about Fuji-nee...? Haha.”
Really, what would that be like?
“She might enjoy it.”
“Huh?”

“She might actually enjoy it.
She does not appear to be the kind of person to use much makeup, but she does not seem to dislike it either.
If you wanted to go to the hair salon, I think she would tag along without hesitation.”

“............”
Wait.
Doesn't that imply that I would be the one going for a makeover, and not Fuji-nee?

“Let's... end our suppositions here.
So, Rider, are you going right away?”
“Due to other appointments, the salon will only be available in the afternoon. I shall be staying here, idling away until then.”
And so she proceeds to set camp in front of the TV.

“Although... I am not particularly fond of it.”
She says softly.
“Wuh?”
Not fond of what? The beauty salon?

“Why's that? It looks like you're used to going there.”
“...Yes, but... there are mirrors there.”
“Ah.”
There are indeed a lot of mirrors in a hair salon.
Rider's true name is Medusa. Her tale includes a defeat with a mirror-like shield.

“...The legendary shield of mirror, is it?
The one that is said to have reflected the petrifying glare.”
According to the Greek mythology, Medusa had her Mystic Eyes blocked by Perseus' shield, and was defeated by having her head cut off, or something like that.
...?
So does that mean...

“Rider, don't you take off your glasses when you get your hair cut?
Meaning, you would be looking in the mirror... Wouldn't you be petrified?”
“No. I do not get petrified simply by looking in a mirror.
That man relied on the reflection to fight me, to avoid looking directly in my eyes.”

“Ah, I see.”
Perseus' shield did not reflect the Mystic Eyes.
He merely made them ineffective by avoiding eye contact.

“Huh...? Then why do you have a problem with mirrors?
You weren't specifically beaten by a mirror. I can understand you might dislike them, but avoiding them? Isn't that a bit much?”
“...Well, that is not necessarily true, either.
Although the goddess's shield could not seal my Mystic Eyes, the thing that defeated me definitely was a "mirror."”

“???”
It's a mystery.
It looks like there are some plot holes in the mythology regarding Medusa.

“..................Would you like to hear the story, Shirou?”
“Eh? Ah, no... It does sound interesting, but...”
“Do you insist on it?”
“No, if you ask that way, then―――”

After all, it's a story concerning Medusa's... No, Rider's fall.
I feel as if I shouldn't insist on it...
“...Ah, no.
I'd like to hear it, if you're up for it.”

“Understood.
I prefer not to reminisce about such things, but if you want to hear about it, then I will tell you.
It was after this body of mine had matured into a monster.
A story of the last days of a monster that is different from the current me, yet awaits me in the end―――”

The peaceful morning air somehow feels a lot more ominous and oppressive.
I'm not sure if she is enjoying my frightened reaction, or if it's just a foreshadowing technique.
Rider quietly begins the story of her past self's final moments.

"―――...If that is so...
Then I shall bring back the head of the legendary monster, Gorgon―――"

The soon-to-be king of Tiryns,
and the future king of Mycenae, Perseus, said this at a banquet.
The warrior most favored by the gods in the Greek world.
Perseus, the son of Zeus, the King of the Gods. On the day of the banquet, to prove his bravery and save his mother, he vowed to defeat the monster.

...The faraway, solitary island was one of the places where those exiled by the gods lived.
A hideous monster lurking at the end of the world.
According to the rumors, it resided in the Titans' ruins, a place resembling the cunning evil of the Sirens, and the chaotic disorder of the Chimeras.
Once a glorious palace of the gods, there was not a trace of its former beauty left on the island. It was now a demonic realm the likes of which cannot be found elsewhere.
The name of that sacred place was the "Shapeless Isle."
A place not even birds visit. A hell on Earth.

Five Noble Phantasms were given to Perseus.
A pair of winged sandals so he could fly through the air.
A helmet that granted invisibility to its wearer.
A bronze shield, polished like a mirror, the gift of the goddess Athena.
A snake hunter's scythe - Harpe.
And finally, a bag to contain the monster's head, Kibisis.

No warrior in the history of Greece had ever been given this many Noble Phantasms.
Perseus equipped himself to win, and gathered much information to aid him.
A wealth of trustworthy weapons, and a strategy to utilize them.
Although he had neither seen the foe nor ever set foot in the demon's lair, he had not a speck of fear.
Until the day of the battle.
Until the moment he descended to that dark palace.

...The island was drastically different from what he had heard before.
The sun did not shine, the air was stale, and all living things melted away.
A hell that did not permit the very existence of life, a dark palace stained with blood.
A place that would trick one into thinking that his time had already come and he had fallen into the afterlife.
Although favored by the gods, Perseus, who had yet to prove himself as a hero, could not bear the sight of it.

Perseus ran deeper into the palace as if he were escaping.
His dreams of slaying the monster gloriously were long gone.
Any longing for fame had long since left his mind.
He only wanted one thing: find the monster, take its head, and escape from the island. As quickly as possible.

The stale air was burning his skin, and his feet were slowly melting away where they had touched the ground.
Simply stopping would spell certain defeat.
The foolish challenger would perish as the monster slept quietly inside the palace.

Holding his breath, suppressing the scream rising in his throat, Perseus hid in the shadows as he advanced.
The palace was enormous.
No, it was excessively huge.
Seemingly enchanted, it had no beginning and no end.
This terrifying palace only revealed Perseus' own insignificance.
Yes―――It was not that the palace was grand.
It was just that Perseus, shivering and alone, was like a tiny insect to its inhabitant.

And so...
A few minutes, no, hours later, the mirrored shield warned Perseus.
The shield reflected the surroundings on its mirror-like surface.
A detector of sorts, the shield shows the dark palace's layout, as well as Perseus' own heartbeat.
...And the heartbeat of a nearby monster, fast approaching...

...The view distorted.
A grotesque creature emerged from the darkness.
Yet one cannot stare at it directly.
Perseus used self-suggestion to force himself to look at nothing but the shield until the very end.

It was already too late to back away. A fight was inevitable.
Seconds later, Perseus flew through the air and issued his challenge to the monster.
...And then...
He suddenly realized that something about the legend was off.
This place was inhabited by three beautiful sisters.
But the shield showed only two heartbeats, his and the monster's in front of him.
...Then...
The heartbeats of the petrifying snake princess' two sisters... Just where could they have disappeared to―――?

A gigantic "something" came, pulverizing the forest of stone statues in its way.
That was the Gorgon, the monster Perseus sensed.

Perseus threw a volley of curses.
You damn gods... What use is this glory you promised me?
There was no victory to be found in this fight from the beginning.
The monster has already nearly matured enough to be called an evil god.
On this impossible mission, the cleverest of Noble Phantasms were nothing but lifesaving equipment, at best.

It was not unlike a ship caught in a storm.
Being toyed with by the raging waves, Perseus was struggling only to survive.
There was no way to win, no weapons to defeat the enemy.
A battle of attrition.
It may have been possible for a true hero, but Perseus, who had hoped to become one through his victory here, had no means to destroy the Gorgon.

"...Perseus, who still possesses the nature of a human...
The only way he could slay the Gorgon would be―――"

Perseus continued to avoid fatal hits using his winged sandals.
Escaping the petrifying glares, and dodging the blows from the monstrous arms.
But that was all he could do.
The monster did not feel threatened by this new offering.
It was no more than a mere nuisance.
Finally having enough of the fighting, it opened up its own palace.

Breaker^{"Self Sealing Temple of Darkness"} Gorgon.
A great magical barrier, a complement to the Blood Fort that enveloped the Shapeless Isle.
Just as the Blood Fort enveloped the world, the Temple of Darkness sealed it.
The person caught inside would have his consciousness imprisoned within the mind of the Gorgon, and would be rid of any abilities he might have had in the outside world.
The Temple of Darkness, unlike the Mystic Eyes, only needed a steady supply of magical energy from the Gorgon to draw one in.
Perseus had no way to avoid it. It had total control over him. The monster, without even focusing on the fight, could―――

"―――And the only way to fell the monster...
...is to let it encage itself―――"

Kibisis.
The bag that is said to have carried Medusa's head.
In an instant, it swelled up, turned inside out and swallowed Perseus whole.
The concepts of the world inverted. The inside of the bag became outside, and the outside became inside.
Now, what was inside wasn't the bag's contents, but, in fact, the outside.
The Gorgon's Temple of Darkness was aimed inside itself.
That prison became a mirror that reflected the Gorgon, who was outside the bag.

The monster's movements stopped.
Trapped in the Temple of Darkness created by itself, startled by a nightmare of its inner wounds, the Gorgon suffered as Medusa.
A nightmare beyond all nightmares. The monster despaired at the reflection in the mirror of its own self from the time when it still had a sense of self-awareness.
―――And then and there.
Came the one counterattack.

Immortality-subverting Harpe sliced through the neck of the completely paralyzed snake princess.
The invincible monster became Medusa again due to its own heart, and...
as if waking up from a dream, was struck down all too quickly.

“―――That is all.
It is an old story, and as it bears no relation to my current self, I have taken some liberties with the details.”

She continues sipping her tea.
She has just recited a story about her own beheading, yet she keeps an unprecedented level of calm.

“...I see. So that's how the story of Medusa's slaying actually went.”
“Yes. From then on, seeing my own reflection was a somewhat traumatic experience. Needless to say, I have difficulty with mirrors.”
“...Now I get it. So you don't really take physical damage, but it's mentally difficult, right?”

“That is correct.
In addition, having my head used so frivolously by such an... adolescent... Yes, it angers me greatly. Mirrors are my sworn enemy, you could say.”
She mutters about having an urge to break every mirror she sees.
..."Such an adolescent" is an unusually emotional choice of words for Rider, though.

“The adolescent... You mean Perseus, right...?
Judging from your story, it sounds like he was also a... Well, I can't call him a "victim," but it does sound like he got tricked into it, right?”

“...Yes, I suppose so. He was also fooled by the gods. After all, he was a mere mosquito in my eyes at that time.
I may be able to sympathize, and it was not enough to make me hate him, but...”

“But?”
“Personally, there is no way I could bring myself to like him.
He did become a fine character afterwards, but even so.”
“Hmm... What sort of a person was he?”

“Right... To sum it up briefly...”
Rider thinks intently, as if digging up his image from the depths of her memories.
And not long after, she raises her head, seemingly surprised at the answer she came up with herself.

“To sum it up, he was a successful Shinji.”
“..................”
　Ah... That conjures up an extremely clear image in my head.
“Really, I simply cannot stomach it.
If it weren't for that Kibisis...”

Having had the barrier turned inside out by Kibisis, Rider ended up sealed in her own Temple of Darkness.
Anyone caught in the Temple of Darkness is said to experience a nightmare that has taboo and delight both mixed in it.
...However.
I wonder what kind of a vision was it that left her with a trauma this deep...?

“...Say. What did you see, Rider?”
“――――――”
“Ah, no, I'm sorry.
A nightmare isn't something you'd like to recall, much less talk about it. Sorry for asking something weird.”

“..................No.
As far as dreams are concerned, I do owe you. It would not be fair for me to refuse to tell you about mine.”
Rider straightens her posture once again.
But she still remains hunched over ever so slightly.
...Ack. It must be an ever greater challenge to endure than the story of being beheaded.
“...Well, that nightmare...”

““MeMedudusa. sa. GGeett oovveerr hheerre, e, MeMedudusa!”sa!”

“...Y-Yes, here I am.
What is it, Eldest Sister, Elder Sister?”

“"What is it," she says.
You are aware that the two of us shall be attending Lord Poseidon's banquet this evening, are you not?”

“...Yes. I am aware that you both had been invited by the Sea King, but... what of it?”

“Uht...! Did you hear that, other me!?
This is supposed to be our sister, this useless behemoth!”

“Yes, it is quite bothersome, to have such a brainless person as family.”

“Medusa, perhaps you're a dinosaur?
I do wonder if your brain's as big as our hands.”

“...Ah, eh... Sisters?
Um, if it's about the dinner preparations, I am getting to it just now, but...”

“Aah, really! I've had it now!
I was asking if our attires were ready!”

“Eh, ah... Yes, I'll, g-g-get them prepared!”

“You'll get them prepared? They aren't already?”

“I'm sure she's planning on making us look bad with ill preparations for her own amusement.”

“No, that is not it!
I, I...!”

“Oh? This girl is looking rather defiant, don't you agree, other me? How clumsy and un-ladylike.”

“Indeed. It is a pity, but she will have to be punished, I suppose.”

“It's all for the sake of our own beloved sister. It might appear that we are going a little too far, but we must steel our hearts and set her straight once again.”

“Ah, eh...!
E-Eldest Sister, I am repenting, I am repenting...!”

“I will do my best tomorrow, so please forgive me todayyyy...!”

“...Hehe, that's right. You should know your place.”

“All right. We will soon be enjoying ourselves at the party, so we shall forgive you. Now, Medusa, our... dresses...”

“Ah... W-What is it, Elder Sister?”

“What is this!?
I can't believe my eyes! It looks like there are three sets of dresses to me!”

“Eh... ehehehe.
I kept it a secret, but I got an invitation, too, you see...”

“Impossible!!!
Hmph, take this!”

“Hiiiiiiyaaaa!?”

“S-S-S-Sister! Why are you ripping the scale decorations off my new frilly dress?!”

“Fufufu, merciless, I really am.”

“What a pity. Now it looks like Medusa can't go to the party.”

“Ah, ah, ah... H-How horrible...! Why would you do that, Elder Sister!?”

“Hah, you can't go, not in a million years.”

“Do you understand, Medusa? Someone of your standing should not even hope to attend a party.”

“You shouldn't even think about it until you can manage to gather a whole club of adoring fanboys.”

“Oh my, that's a going a little too far, other me.
If that were the case, then she'd never be able to debut in the social world.”

“...Eldest Sister, what are you...”

“Did you not understand what Euryale said?
There isn't a single blockhead that could possibly be attracted to a hulk like you!”

“Or rather, there is no way that we would permit it.
There can't be many who could accompany your stature in the first place!”

“Indeed. It's a shame, but males who will look good by your side are extremely few in number.”

“Even a kiss won't be romantic.
To make the male go on his tiptoes... It's nothing short of fatal!”

“N-No way... I-It's not like I chose to be...”

“...Or, I don't even think... I'm that... tall...”

“Ahahaha! You're still that big even after scrunching up! If that makes you angry, try to be more like us!”

“The two of us can be held lovably in others' arms, but the one who could lift you would be... Maybe Atlas and probably no one else.”

“Yes, that is true, but he will surely hurt his back.”

“Do you understand? Slim and compact are in style now. Things a farm horse like you are not.”

“Ah, ugh... How cruel! You did not have to put it that way!”

“Hee hee, even your crying is no good!
Your tears would feel like a flood to your male partner, surely.”

“Oh my, have some pity, other me.
Did you know? Medusa sighs every time she looks in a mirror.”

“This pathetic effort is just like her, don't you think?”

“So, I was hoping to get a concave mirror from Lord Poseidon at the party tonight.”

“Pff, so that she can look small and lovable?”

“Ahahah, perfect! Let us ask Lord Poseidon for an extraordinarily huge mirror!”

“Of course, we'll have our reply to him ready, should he ask.”

“"It's rather embarrassing, but our little sister has a mental affliction that prevents her from looking at normal-sized mirrors," we'll say!”

“Splendid.
Aah, really, we care too much for our little sister, don't you think so, Medusa?"

“Uuuuuh, Sisters... WAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

―――And so...
Several minutes have passed since Rider closed her eyes.

“...Uh, Rider?
About the nightmare...”
“―――I have changed my mind. Let us leave old stories here for now.
Also, it will soon be time for the appointment.”

Rider gets up from her seat.
I regret asking... It really was an insensitive request.

“Then, do excuse me.
...And, to clarify a potential misunderstanding, the Kibisis-induced nightmare was not such a bad thing from my point of view.
It was not excruciating pain that paralyzed me―――it was the joy of seeing the people I never thought I would meet again.”

“Huh...?”
“It is not unlike the situation you are in.
I was being whipped around by everyone, but those were still the best days of my life... It might, in fact, be the fear of reminiscing about those times that brings about my hatred of mirrors.”

She leaves with a kind smile.
“......Hm.”
I can't help but feel happy seeing such a smiling face.
Happy, but...

“I'm not really getting whipped around, Rider...”
...No, but...
What's with this surging feeling of companionship for Rider?