"How did things end up like this? I was clearly the first—well, okay, I wasn't the first, but it was supposed to be just a simple sightseeing trip."
One day, at the beginning of the new century, inside the spirit particle world within the massive photon crystal Mooncell Automaton, Shinji said this to Altera, who was now dressed in a maid outfit.
This wasn't one of Shinji's interests. Though, as an otaku, he certainly liked the maid trope, he had no intention of tricking the pure-hearted Altera into wearing such an outfit.
If he had awakened some strange fetish, he could have gone to Kirie Fujou, a woman who was both a backpacker and a hardcore otaku. Her collection of bizarre cosplay outfits, filling three entire wardrobes, far outnumbered her regular clothes.
The reason Altera ended up in a maid outfit was purely accidental.
After meeting Shinji and hearing him talk about many things from the outside world, the Great Titan, who had been in solitude for 14,000 years, began to feel a bit restless. After some discussion, Altera decided to create a dream body for herself—Attila the Hun—and, through a contract with Shinji, exploit a loophole in the spirit particle world's rules so she could venture outside and experience the fresh air she hadn't breathed in millennia.
Eventually, this became a regular occurrence. Especially after Arcueid sealed herself due to her vampiric impulses, Altera directly took Arcueid's place, accompanying Shinji on his explorations of the moon cell world.
Initially, Shinji wanted Altera to guide him straight into Mooncell's core. After all, 14,000 years ago, she had successfully taken control of Mooncell. With her help, Shinji could seize the supreme royal authority, transforming from Matou Shinji to Admin. He'd be able to punch out Comet Soldiers, kick U.O.s, take down the Mercury Spider whenever he pleased, and tease the Venus Angels whenever he felt like it, becoming the ruler of the solar system in one swift move.
However, daydreaming Shinji forgot that Altera had hacked Mooncell physically, and wasn't familiar with the spirit particle world's workings. With her main body in self-imposed seclusion, all she could do was act as a companion and bodyguard, much like Arcueid.
On this day, the two of them arrived at a city modeled after Tokyo, Japan. Not only did it have a strong modern atmosphere, but it also had a peculiar establishment—a maid café.
Shinji had, of course, heard of and seen maid cafés before, but that was in the real world. He had never encountered one in the spirit particle world. Curious, he brought Altera in to take a break.
At first, things progressed normally. They ordered two cups of coffee and enjoyed the greetings and service from the maids, and Shinji even took the opportunity to explain Japanese otaku culture to Altera. If she was interested, he could introduce her to some anime, much like how his mother, Elsa, would watch movies and soap operas with Arcueid.
However, just as they were about to settle the bill and continue their journey, an accident occurred.
Altera accidentally bumped into one of the maids, causing her to sprain her ankle and making her unable to continue working.
If this had happened on Earth, it would have been easy to fix: a quick apology and a discreet application of healing magecraft would have done the trick. But things were different in the spirit particle world. The inhabitants here were programs created by Mooncell, similar to NPCs in an online game. Shinji had no idea how to heal an NPC.
He initially planned to offer extra compensation (in the form of resource points), but the café manager refused, explaining that money couldn't solve their staffing problem. The manager then suggested that since Shinji and Altera both looked the part, they could fill in until the end of the lunch shift.
Without giving it much thought, Altera immediately agreed, not even giving Shinji time to react. She said she had heard Shinji talk about working part-time with Arcueid and wanted to try it herself.
Well, with things at this point, what else could he do? Might as well give it a try. With his and Altera's strength, there was no danger to worry about.
Thus, Shinji donned a butler outfit, and Altera changed into a maid dress.
"Though you're filling in, we won't have you two rookies serving customers. Mr. Shinji, you'll help behind the bar, and Miss. Altera, you'll be cleaning the tables and mopping the floor. Any problems?" said the head maid.
"No problems!" the two of them responded in unison. Such simple tasks were no challenge at all; it seemed the café was short-staffed.
"Oh, and when customers come in, you must greet them uniformly. Repeat after me: 'Welcome home, Master.'"
"Welcome home, Master."
Shinji naturally placed one hand on his chest and bowed.
"Very good, I'm tempted to hire you permanently."
"You flatter me."
Shinji's reaction was calm. He had seen plenty of professional butlers and housekeepers at El-Melloi and Barthomeloi, and compared to them, he wasn't even close.
"Miss Altera, your turn."
"W-w-welcome..."
Altera stammered several attempts but couldn't manage to get out a full greeting. Every time she was about to say it, she felt an inexplicable shyness. At that moment, she didn't resemble the cold and formidable king she usually was, but more like the shy, gentle titan hidden away in a stone chamber. Given the connection between the two, it wasn't that surprising.
"You don't need to force yourself. I can take over your duties," Shinji said gently, which only served to ignite Altera's determination.
"Don't underestimate me. You stay quiet; I can handle this."
"Alright, if you insist."
Honestly, Shinji was curious. What kind of maid would Altera cosplay as? Would she be domineering? The kingly type? Or something more sinister?
"W-welcome home, my... Master."
Taking a deep breath, Altera finally managed to say the full greeting. Although the final title was a bit off, it was undoubtedly a historic step forward.
As she said these words, Altera's face turned bright red as if she had just come out of a sauna. Her shy yet determined expression made Shinji push up his monocle—which came with the butler outfit—several times because it kept threatening to slip off.
This was too much.
It was far too stimulating.
At this rate, some strange fetish might awaken within him.
Like a maid fetish, a queen fetish, or something like My Maid King, or The King is My Maid.
Shinji wasn't the only one affected, though; the head maid also felt the impact. She grabbed Altera's hand and said:
"Come work here officially. The hours aren't long, and the pay is great. I'm sure you'd become the star maid of our café."
"Um, well..."
Altera looked to Shinji for help, her personality seemingly transformed by wearing the maid outfit.
"If you like it, I don't see why not."
Shinji pressed his glasses again, trying to maintain his composure and avoid going down a weird path.
"Why don't you give it a try, and then decide afterward?"
"Okay."
At that moment, the manager's voice called out from outside.
"Are you ready? It's about to get busy."
"Coming!"
The head maid led the two of them out of the break room, saying, "Welcome home, Master."
"Welcome home, Master."
"W-welcome home..."