Hayate no Gotoku! Episode 48

'''Hayate no Gotoku! Episode 48, title name as Hina ♥ Love (ヒナ♥ラブ) aired on March 2nd 2008, the English Animax dub aired on aired on August 17th 2009.

Synopsis
At Hinagiku's house, Hinagiku and her mother are washing the dishes. Her mother asks Hinagiku if she has a boyfriend, and Hinagiku becomes embarrassed by this, asking her why she's asking in the first place. Her mother reminds her that she's getting to "that age" now, and that she thought that Hinagiku might want to spend time with someone on her birthday. Hinagiku says that she doesn't actually have any significant other, which surprises her mother. Hinagiku also adds that they usually just spend their birthdays with the family. Her mother approaches her and compliments her for growing up so quickly, embarrassing her further. She then adds that with the way she currently is, it would be surprising if she didn't get a lot of attention from others, leaving Hinagiku speechless. Later that night, she wonders about her mother's words, realizing that there probably is someone out there who would come to her side if she simply called for them. She takes a look at her calendar, realizing that her birthday is coming up quickly, and she thinks about this further. Just then, Hayate comes to her mind, prompting herself to aggressively deny any feelings for him.

The following morning, Hinagiku is walking to Hakuou, sighing about her troubles from last night, when Hayate calls out to her. She quickly turns around to greet him and Nagi, but due to her experiences last night, she quickly runs off. They wonder what's causing Hinagiku to seem so jumpy, and Hayate quickly assumes that he may have done something to make her mad again. Nagi tells him to get a hold of himself, since it would be bad if he became depressed before the exams. In her classroom, Hinagiku wonders if she's just become slightly more self-aware because of what her mother had said. She digs through her desk for something, but ends up pulling out a love note addressed to her. Slightly anxious, she flips it around to see that it wasn't signed. She wonders who it was, and she briefly assumes it's Hayate. Meanwhile, Hayate found a similar note in his classroom, asking him to come to the kendo hall after school. While he wonders who could have sent it, Nagi asks him what he was up to. He denies doing anything, leaving Nagi confused. Given that the sender mentions the kendo training hall, he assumes Hinagiku could have sent it, and he wonders if something could have happened that would have elevated his relationship with Hinagiku. Nagi tries to look over his shoulder to see what was happening, but then the person in front of Hayate passes him the test forms. He takes one and passes the rest back to Nagi. Realizing that if he fails the exam, he will lose all chances to see her, he tries to focus on his exams, making the next couple of hours very stressful for him. After the exams are over, Wataru is sitting outside with Nagi, reviewing their results. Wataru finds himself astonished at how poorly he had done, despite Nagi's help. In addition, Hayate was looking rather crushed and spaced out. Isumi asks if they should go over his answers also, but Nagi assumes that Hayate had done well on the exams, since he usually is capable when he puts his mind to something. He realizes that he couldn't focus much, but he doesn't mention this and agrees with Nagi. Nagi says that she'll have to conduct extra study sessions with Wataru, and they decide to do it at Isumi's house. Slightly nervous, Wataru agrees with this, and Nagi tells Hayate that he can head home.

With his free time, he decides to go check out the kendo training hall, but he assumes nothing is going to happen. As he approaches the hall, however, a storm of cherry blossom petals starts, and he sees Hinagiku standing under a blooming cherry tree. Hayate wonders if that tree has always been there, and also why there are cherry blossom petals in the air despite it only being march. Ignoring all of this, Hayate approaches Hinagiku and he calls out for her. She turns to face him, and she blushes a bit. Hayate asks her what she was doing at the hall, but she refuses to mention the love letter and only says that she's just here for kendo. She then turns things around by asking Hayate what he was doing. They ask each other about the letters, but before either of them can reply, Koutarou announces his presence, and that he has been waiting for Hayate. Hinagiku asks him what he was up to, and he says that he intends to defeat his enemy, Hayate, right in front of her. Hinagiku asks Koutarou if he was the one who wrote the letter, though this prompts Hayate to become extremely annoyed that this, of all things, was the punchline of the entire situation. Koutarou tries to taunt Hayate for wanting to drop out, but this causes Hayate to rush at him, and ask him what he was attempting to do. Koutarou gets angry with Hayate for constantly treating him like a nameless background character, prompting Hayate to rattle off the way he has been defeated in the series so far, annoying him further. Just then, Hinagiku approaches Hayate, and asks him if he thought that she had written the letter. Hayate panics, not wanting to offend Hinagiku again, resulting in him denying that he thought that it was written by Hinagiku. He then adds that he didn't think Hinagiku would do something "girly" like that, which ends up seriously offending her. With an angry glare, she asks Hayate what exactly he means by that. Realizing that he has annoyed her again, Hayate backs off, while Koutarou jabs at him for alienating Hinagiku. Hinagiku, still frustrated with Hayate, tells Koutarou to keep him company.

Kaede appears, and adds that he also would like to see Koutarou defeat Hayate, and asks Hayate to serve as his opponent. He then says that Koutarou has been training over the 2.5 half-seasons he wasn't seen, and that he's found the secret to defeat Hayate. At the top of a tree Himuro sits with Taiga, who was doing his usual act of throwing rose petals. Himuro realizes that it's something amazing for someone like Koutarou to actually challenge someone on his own will, and he encourages Hayate to be his opponent. He then adds that if he doesn't fight, the bill for the rose petals will be sent to the Sanzenin family rather than the Azumamiya family. Reluctantly, Hayate agrees to be Koutarou's opponent. Still annoyed, Hinagiku takes this opportunity to wander off. The two stand facing each other by the kendo training hall, while Hayate wonders what his special technique could be. Just then, Koutarou throws his shinai away, leading Hayate to assume that he's going to fight unarmed. However, Koutarou pulls out a red loop of string, calling it his secret technique. He quickly works with the string, and reveals that his entire plan is to have a game of Cat's Cradle with Hayate. Hayate asks him what he's doing, and Kaede explains that Koutarou realized that he would never be able to defeat Hayate in kendo, and he would instead try something else. Himuro adds that such a wimpy strategy is quite fitting of Koutarou. Hayate takes the string from Koutarou, and forms an impressive display of the "Murasame Liger" from Zoids Genesis. Koutarou questions how Hayate could actually create something like that. Hayate says that there's nothing impossible for a butler, and Koutarou tries to take the string, but it collapses instantly. Defeated, Koutarou drops to the ground, annoyed that all his training was defeated instantly. Kaede tells him not to become dejected from a single victory. Koutarou realizes this, and instead turns to Tagia, who he challenges instead. Kaede approves of his strategy to pick on someone who would potentially offer certain defeat, and Taiga clings to Himuro, asking him what he should do. Himuro advises them not to underestimate the skills of Taiga. No longer needed, Hayate wanders off, wondering where Hinagiku had gone. In the city, Hinagiku was wandering alone, still irritated with Hayate. She wonders why she was hoping for the letter to be from him, and she tosses it into a wastebasket. She compares his words to that of being dumped, even though she never actually loved him. As she wanders by, Ayumu pops up, remarking how great it is being young. She takes a strawberry dipped in cream out of the bowl she was holding and begins to eat it, but this is considered too erotic and ends up getting censored.

The next day, Hinagiku tries to study, but she can't since so much is on her mind, which simply serves to anger her further. She heads off to a coffee shop, and she begins to calm down, until she overhears some couples in the shop mention how they enjoy spending birthdays together. Annoyed by them, she wanders off again, wondering if it really matters if she spends her birthday with someone. Outside of a shop, Hinagiku runs into Hayate, who was going out to pick up a new study guide. Hayate begins to apologize profusely to Hinagiku. She asks him why he's apologizing, and he says that he thinks he had made her made the other day. Hinagiku smiles, and asks him if he really feels bad about it. Before he can respond, Hinagiku asks him to treat her to tea. Hinagiku ends up bringing him to a maid cafe, which she knows serves good cappuccinos. While they drink, Hinagiku tells Hayate that he looks really good in his normal clothes. Hayate is surprised by this, but thanks her for the compliment, and adds that he thinks Hinagiku also looks cute. Hinagiku blushes some, and turns away, asking him what he means by that. He says it's just that her clothes look good on her, which seems to calm her down. Hayate asks her what's gotten into her, but she ignores him and instead asks Hayate how he did on his exams. He says he didn't do very well, but Hinagiku tells him not to get down, and instead offers to treat him to a change in scenery.

Hinagiku's song Power of Flower begins to play as a montage of their time together plays, where they spend time looking at clothes, listening to music, and getting ice cream with each other. Outside some place, they find a prize grabber, which has a small stuffed animal in it, which Hinagiku thinks is adorable. Hinagiku declares that she's going to definitely get it, and she puts some money into the machine. Hinagiku manages to get a grip on the stuffed animal she wanted, but she wasn't able to get it. Seeing how devoted she is to getting the prize, Hayate tells her that she actually does have a girly side, but this just annoys her again. She turns to confront him about it, reminding him that he said the same thing yesterday. She then asks Hayate to admit that he thought the letter was from her, but he continues to deny it. She says that she isn't really all that mad for him denying it, and she admits that she thought the letter she got was from Hayate. However, she quickly realizes what they had said to each other, and she ends up throwing one of the displays at Hayate and running off. Hayate gets up, realizing that he's just annoyed her again. He takes a look at the prize grabber, and sees that the stuffed animal Hinagiku had wanted, which gives him an idea.

Meanwhile, Hinagiku sits on a park bench, slightly dejected and aware that she had just ruined the fun they were having. She becomes aware of how much she hates losing, and that she's never actually shown her girly side to Hayate. Just then, she notices a cat in a tree, and she wonders what she should do about it. She realizes that the last time she was in this situation, she had climbed up to rescue the animal, but that was also when she had first met Hayate. She sits there, wondering why that came to mind, until she sees the cat moving along the branch. Fearful that it might fall, Hinagiku rushes for the tree and quickly climbs up. As she climbs, she becomes dizzy from the height, but she tries her hardest to avoid it. She gets up to the kitten, and takes it in her arms. However, the branch she was standing on breaks, and she falls, leaving her hanging on to another branch with only one hand. She calls out for help, making her remember that Hayate once said that he'd always be there if she called for him. She loses her grip, and as she falls to the ground, she calls out for Hayate. Hayate ends up arriving just in time and catches her. Embarrassed by him catching her, she struggles a bit, prompting Hayate to put her down and apologize, though Hinagiku realizes that she should be the one apologizing. Hayate then gives Hinagiku the stuffed animal from the prize grabber earlier. Hinagiku is impressed that he spent his time getting it for her, and she realizes that he always seems to be helping her somehow. They end up walking home together, until their paths separate. There, Hinagiku thanks Hayate for keeping her company during the day, and she says that she had fun. Hayate adds that he had also had fun with her, and Hinagiku asks him if she was to call out again, would he be there for her. He tells her that she can call for him whenever she wants, jokingly adding that he's an expert at prize grabbers. Hayate wishes her goodbye, and she runs off, gleefully giggling and holding the animal. At the mansion, Nagi asks Hayate why he's feeling so down, and he says that it's because his wallet is currently entirely empty due to an "unplanned expenditure." Maria asks Nagi what they are going to get Hinagiku for her birthday, though Nagi just lets Maria decide. Hayate asks if Hinagiku's birthday is coming up, and Maria says that it's the third of March. Hayate, surprised by how soon it is, wonders if he should get her a present, but Nagi asks why he would do that. As Nagi scolds him for thinking of someone else in this manner, Hinagiku lies in her bed, still holding onto the stuffed animal from earlier. She silently thanks Hayate for getting it for her. That evening, Taiga and Koutarou's match was still going on, with Tagia winning all of the rounds.

During the episode's butler report, Hinagiku takes control of the show, but she isn't sure what to say. A shot of her in the bath then shows, and she demands to know who was responsible for showing this.

Trivia

 * The title of this episode is a reference to Love Hina.
 * During Hayate's match with Koutarou, he creates an image of a Mugen Liger from the series Zoids Genesis.
 * While in the coffee shop two people behind Hinagiku bare a slight resemblance to the characters Ginta Toramizu and Snow from the series MÄR.
 * Sonia Shaflnarz makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in this episode.