Chapter 26

'''Hayate no Gotoku! Chapter 26:''' Who Came Up with the Sound Effect, 'Kapok'? It's Awesome (カポーンって擬音は誰が考えたんだろう? スゲーよね)

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * 1) Nagi Sanzenin
 * 2) Maria
 * 3) Hayate Ayasaki
 * 4) Tama

Summary
Hayate returns to the mansion from the amusement park. Maria asks him how things went, and he responds saying that it was amazing, but he doesn't mention anything about Eight. Maria then notices how dirty his clothes are, and she recommends that he takes a bath. While Hayate sits in the bath, he reflects on how great it is for his job to allow him to use such a luxurious bath, but he thinks it would be better if Maria was present. Just then, he hears something moving, and he turns around, assuming that it is Maria. However, it is revealed to be Tama, wearing a bath towel. He jumps in, to Hayate's annoyance. Tama then says that he thinks the water is a bit lukewarm, despite it being about normal for Hayate. Tama gets out and heads to the boiler control panel. Hayate asks him if this is really a good idea, and Tama tries to reassure him that he knows what he is doing, but he can't press the buttons with his paws. He ends up breaking one of the panels. A large bang in the boiler occurs, attracting Maria's attention. She rushes to the bath and asks if Hayate is alright, but she hears Hayate yelling at Tama to not run away. Maria opens the door, and Tama quickly rushes out to Maria's surprise. She then looks in, and she sees Hayate naked. She quickly shuts the door and tells Hayate to put a towel on.

Later, back in his normal uniform, Hayate lays on the ground outside, depressed that he might have just ruined his relationship with Maria. Tama approaches him and asks him why he looks so depressed, frustrating Hayate. He ends up telling Tama what happened, and Tama advises that he apologizes, though he also sarcastically recommends that he dies. Hayate naturally opposes this, and Tama then recommends fixing the boiler. Hayate points out that he's responsible for breaking the boiler in the first place, though they end up both heading to the boiler anyways. Tama tells Hayate not to mess with it, since he doesn't know how it works, though Hayate is skeptical that Tama knows any better. Just then, Maria calls out, having heard voices down in the boiler room. Maria enters the boiler room and asks them what they're up to. Tama instantly starts acting like a cat again, and Hayate tells her that he was going to try to fix the bath. Hayate asks Maria what she was doing, and she says that she was also going to try to fix the bath. When she mentions the bath, Hayate instantly freezes up as he remembers the events from before. She turns away, making Hayate feel worse, since he thinks that she can no longer even look at his face. Hayate starts crying, and Maria faces him again, asking why he started to cry. Tama, annoyed by how weak Hayate seems, enters the boiler and tries to fix it, though he ends up crushing another panel, causing the boiler pipes to break, flooding the room with water. Maria is swept away by the currents. Hayate jumps into the maelstrom and swims after Maria, and he catches up to her. Realizing that they would drown if they didn't drain the water, Hayate takes a piece of cloth from Maria's uniform and wraps it around his hand. He uses it as a gauntlet to create a small crack in the wall. The water pressure causes the crack to expand, dumping out all the water outside. As they recover, Hayate remarks about how he always seems to be causing trouble, though Maria admits that she likes the hardworking side of him. He gets encouraged again, and Maria asks him to actually fix the bath this time. Outside, Nagi comes across Tama, who was laying on the ground, possibly unconscious.

Anime Adaption

 * Hayate no Gotoku! Season 1 Episode 22.