Through some strange twist of fate, I found myself heading to the southern reaches of the Demon Realm to watch Maid Olympia, a grand festival for maids, alongside Lilia-san. We were accompanied by Luna-san, who was participating in the event.
When we arrived, we were greeted by a magnificent stadium. The surrounding area was in full festival mode, bustling with stalls. Even though the venue changes every year, I was genuinely impressed that they could organize an event of this scale.
The stalls themselves, however, were a bit... unusual. The atmosphere was completely different from any festival I’d ever seen.
"Oh, look! Isn't that the newest headset?"
"It’s a lovely design. I was just thinking it was time to upgrade to something a bit more professional."
"Why not go all out and buy a brand-name one?"
"I don't think I have enough Maid Power to pull off a brand-name headset yet..."
I overheard two women chatting in front of a stall, but the common thread was... well, everywhere I looked, there were maids. Maids to the left, maids to the right.
The shoppers were maids, the vendors were maids—everywhere I turned, I saw nothing but apron dresses. Lilia-san and I stood out like sore thumbs.
"...Lilia-san, we’ve really stumbled into somewhere incredible, haven't we?"
"Yes... What even is this place? I feel like I've wandered into another dimension."
"You two! That one over there is a famous Maid-yaki stall. I highly recommend picking some up during the break!"
While Lilia-san and I walked on, completely overwhelmed by the sheer pressure of being surrounded by maids in every direction, Luna-san was in high spirits, pointing out various stalls. Honestly, I could barely process what she was saying.
Maid-yaki, a mobile shop selling custom-ordered apron dresses... Every single stall catered exclusively to maids. As Lilia-san had said, it felt as if we had crossed into a different world.
"Still, it’s a pity Sieg-san, Aoi-sama, and Hina-sama couldn't make it. Though I suppose hometown visits and work obligations can't be helped..."
"...Kaito-san, didn't Sieg's 'hometown visit' sound a little too convenient?"
"And Aoi-chan and Hina-chan suddenly 'remembered' they had adventurer work to do, didn't they?"
Exactly. In other words, Sieg-san, Aoi-chan, and Hina-chan had successfully made their escape. Unlike Lilia-san and me, they had been invited later, giving them much more room to decline.
"...If I'm being honest, I wanted to run away too, but I couldn't just let Lilia-san come here alone..."
"Kaito-san... thank you. Let’s just resign ourselves to the fact that this is simply how this world works."
"Right."
I whispered my agreement to Lilia-san and followed behind Luna-san as she marched ahead triumphantly. Still, the sense of being out of place was immense. No matter where I looked, there were only maids.
It felt as though anyone who wasn't a maid would stand out instantly...
""...Ah.""
The moment I spotted a familiar face a short distance away, the other person noticed us as well. She ran toward us with an expression like someone who had found a savior in the depths of hell.
"Th-Thank goodness! Finally, some normal people! Kaito, you really turned up at the perfect time... As expected of a popular guy, you're just on another level! Seriously, I was so, so anxious... Seeing a familiar face has totally saved me."
"Akane-san? What a coincidence. What on earth are you doing in this... demon-filled madness?"
"I didn't want to be here! Frau dragged me along by force, and then the second we arrive, she disappears to go buy 'limited-edition items' or something... Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to be abandoned in a place like this?"
"...Well, my condolences."
The person I had run into was, surprisingly, Akane-san. Come to think of it, Frau-san was another person who was deeply immersed in the Maid World.
"Hm? Kaito, who's this? Is she another one of your high-and-mighty big shots?"
"Ah, no, she's not particularly that much of a big shot..."
"Ah, I see... Well, that's a relief. It's not like you only hang out with the Six Kings-sama and people like that."
As Akane-san looked visibly relieved by my words, Lilia-san took a step forward to introduce herself.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Lilia Albert."
"...Albert?"
"Yes. I am the current Head of the Ducal House of Albert."
"O-Oh... I see... I'm the Chairman of the Mikumo Trading Company, Akane Mikumo. It's an honor... Hey, Kaito, come here for a sec..."
After returning the greeting, Akane-san grabbed my clothes and yanked me down so she could whisper—or rather, hiss—right into my chest.
"She is a big shot, you idiot!"
...Now that she mentioned it, she was right. Lilia-san was the Head of a Ducal House. Among nobles, excluding the royal family, she held the highest possible rank. She was undeniably a big shot.
Because she lacked any sort of "important person" aura, I’d completely overlooked it...
"...Milady, why do you also have such a blank look on your face?"
"No, well, come to think of it, I'm quite a big shot, aren't I? I'm actually important, right?"
"That's right. You are a Duke, after all."
"...I've spent so much time meeting Kaito-san's acquaintances where I was the one at a disadvantage that I'd actually forgotten my own status."
Thinking back, among the people Lilia-san had met through me, were there any where she genuinely held the superior social standing? Maybe Acht or Eva? Even then, Noin-san had usually been there too...
Serious-senpai: "Well, forget about Kaito—even the woman herself reacted with an 'Oh yeah, I guess I was' moment. That really speaks volumes about the hardships Lilia has endured until now."
???: "To be fair, if you actually compared them, there were a few people Lilia-san technically had more authority over, but it definitely feels like she spends most of her time meeting people who outrank her."