The main tournament of the Maid Olympia continued to progress. Frau was off preparing for her second-round match, which was starting soon, and Luna had already headed back to the arena as well; having finished her second round, her quarterfinal match was right around the corner. That left just the three of us—Lilia-san, Akane-san, and me—to watch from the stands.
"Lilia-san, Akane-san, would you like some fries?"
"Thank you. I hadn't realized they sold snacks like this here."
"Reminds me of watchin' a baseball game," Akane-san remarked.
She was right. Just like at a baseball or soccer stadium, vendors were making the rounds through the spectator stands. I’d picked up some French fries and drinks just a few minutes ago. Thanks to the Magic Boxes, the fries were served piping hot, which was a welcome treat.
Lilia-san nibbled on a fry with practiced elegance, her expression turning thoughtful. "Still... how should I put it? I'll admit I'm still lost when it comes to the finer points of maid culture, but as a spectator sport, this is actually quite entertaining."
"I was thinking the same thing. It really is surprisingly fun to watch."
Lilia-san had hit the nail on the head. Despite the eccentricity of it all, the Maid Olympia was genuinely engaging. The challenges were creative, and the live commentary and analysis made it easy to follow what was happening. Even if some of the "Maid World" jargon went over my head, it felt a lot like watching a televised cooking competition—seeing two experts go head-to-head in a test of skill was a real spectacle.
"No kiddin', it’s a blast," Akane-san added. "That table-settin' match a bit ago was clever. Havin' to look at the guests' info and arrange everything to suit 'em on the fly?"
"Yeah, that was interesting. Having three different races sitting at the same table really brought out the contestants' personalities."
The rules of the competition were varied and clever. The "setting match" Akane-san mentioned had required the participants to set a table for a group of races with height differences spanning several meters. Seeing how the two contestants balanced those needs resulted in two very different, very unique final products. Ein-san’s detailed commentary throughout the judging process had made the whole thing easy to appreciate.
"Honestly, part of why I'm havin' such a good time is 'cause Lilia-san’s so easygoin'," Akane-san said. "I can just relax and watch without havin' to worry 'bout actin' all formal."
Despite being a Duchess, Lilia-san was gentle and remarkably easy to talk to. Between that and her background as a former knight, she rarely felt out of touch with commoners. Seeing her sitting there casually sharing a bag of fries made her feel incredibly approachable. Akane-san had been stiff at first, but by now, she seemed to have completely relaxed around her.
"That reminds me," I said, changing the subject. "Frau-san’s match should be starting soon, right?"
"Yeah... but d'ya think she’s got a shot? I’m rootin' for her, obviously, but her opponent’s one of those Super Maids, yeah?"
"The one with the legendary stamina," I noted.
"It might come down to the specific challenge they’re assigned," Lilia-san mused, "but her opponent is a multiple-time champion. She's likely an expert in every field... I fear it will be an uphill battle."
The final match of the second round was fast approaching, and it would pit Frau against the Super Maid of Body. Like Akane-san and Lilia-san, I suspected she was in for a rough time. We’d seen three Super Maids compete in the second round so far. While Camellia-san had effectively won by default, the other two had secured overwhelming victories without even breaking a sweat.
I remembered something Ein-san had said when she first met Illness-san. She’d mentioned that the scene felt a bit stagnant and that she wanted to see a "new wind"—a fifth Super Maid—rise up.
Reading between the lines, it seemed the current Super Maids were in a league of their own. Unless they were facing each other, they were essentially untouchable. It felt like the race for the championship had already been narrowed down to those four. Beatrice-san and Alexandra-san’s matches had been nothing short of dominant, after all.
"Well, for now, let's just cheer for Frau and see what happens."
"You're right," Lilia-san agreed. "Even if the odds are slim, the chance of victory isn't zero."
"True enough... Hey, Kaito, gimme another fry."
I’d been worried about how this day would go, but somehow, we were all genuinely enjoying the Maid Olympia.
Serious-senpai: "I-I mean, sure... if you ignore the fact that the entire concept of a 'maid' is inherently insane, I suppose it could be considered... entertaining..."