Hayate no Gotoku! Episode 46

'''Hayate no Gotoku! Episode 46''', title name as His Name is Magic Ball Pitcher Wataru!!! (奴の名は魔球投手ワタル!!!) aired on February 17th 2008, the English Animax dub aired on August 13th 2009.'''

Synopsis
Wataru was walking in the city, until he sees Isumi wearing a school uniform, "not" the one from Hakuou Academy, while he hides behind the "moving" pole. As Isumi gets in the bus, Wataru tries to follow her, but the narrator tells him to go back and push the pole to where it was, and then the bus left, leaving Wataru behind. Moments later, Wataru urgently asked Nagi what is going on, but Nagi thinks that the question is incomprehensive. Wataru said to Nagi the truth that he saw Isumi in a school uniform, but using her extended arm, Nagi then tells him that it is all a hallucination, though it is not likely for him. She then said to him that Isumi fell in love with another boy from another school and is sneaking into the school. And for that, Wataru ran away. Hayate and Maria were eavesdropping at Nagi from behind the "fake" window. Nagi then ordered Hayate to go look after Wataru, since she finds that interesting.

Meanwhile, at Video Tachibana, Saki is dusting the video shelfs, until she sees the video from one show is mixed in with the other show. Despite of organizing the shelf, Wataru looked depressed and Saki will have to do something for him, but she fell down to the ground as she went outside. Saki then met Hayate standing by next to her. While Saki is talking nonsense of her age in front of Hayate, Wataru still looked shocked as he was walking by. Hayate and Saki hid themselves behind the pole while watching Wataru standing at the bus stop. Wataru then went on a bus ride as Hayate and Saki follow him. The bus stops by at Shiomi Municipal High School, and Hayate heard that name before, because it is his same former school. Wataru now knows that Isumi went inside that school, but he couldn't get on campus because the gate is locked. While hiding, Saki felt jealous of finding Isumi and then worried about Wataru, so Hayate tells her how to get on campus. Saki found Wataru and knew she cannot leave him alone at that rate. According to the map Hayate drew, Saki helped Wataru how to get on campus, simply by getting through the ripped fence, but he didn't see that rip. Then, Ayumu met Wataru and opened the ripped gate so that he can get in. Ayumu then gave both Wataru and Saki a tour around the campus, but as they encountered the delinquents on campus, Ayumu explained to them that it is normal for her and the others in school, especially when the delinquents love puppies. Then they encountered the female delinquent boss, but it is still normal for Ayumu, even the part where girls leap through time. After the tour, Ayumu swiftly ran away to buy a bread. Meanwhile, Isumi went searching for something while participating on gym class; ribbon dancing, cheerleading, and swimming lessons, but no luck. Wataru and Saki finally found Isumi at the baseball area, but Wataru panicked when Isumi wore a manager uniform, carried a white towel, and looked directly at the pitcher on the baseball team, with a cardboard on his face. Saki then explained to Wataru about Isumi's technique called "Senpai, please use this to wipe off your sweat" attack. This is a special technique where all girls in love uses a white towel to wipe off their boyfriends' sweat of youth. Wataru was shocked that he never knew Isumi was seeking youth, and then he worries too much.

Meanwhile, Hayate was sneaking in his former school, until he gets easily spotted by Ayumu. As they talked to each other with their different topics, they backed away for a while. Ayumu tells Hayate the story about what just happened after school and how the manager of the club died some time ago. She then tells him that her school is cursed by the spirit of the dead manager, though she finds that a rumor. But Hayate suddenly felt something, that Isumi came all the way there just to exterminate that spirit. Hayate then left Ayumu, and she felt sad that he did not came to see her at all. Meanwhile, Isumi ran to a pitcher while he is getting sweaty, and Wataru jumped to conclusions, because he thinks he is nothing to her, so he cried and ran away as Saki follows him. When Isumi was about to wipe off the pitcher's sweat, she sensed a presence from the pitcher, and it was the spirit of a girl manager who loves him. Isumi can see the spirit ,and as a medium, she gave her a permission to use her body in order to fulfill her wish. So the spirit accepts that offer as she went inside Isumi's body. Later, Wataru thinks he is a loser while he is running away, but Saki stopped him and slapped him in a face. Saki then teaches Wataru a lesson and gives him support by telling him that the only way to win Isumi's heart is for him to challenge his opponent to a baseball showdown. Soon after, Wataru brought back his fighting spirit as he went back to a baseball area. Hayate found Saki as she tells him for Wataru's whereabouts.

Back at a baseball area, Isumi, with the spirit of the dead manager, was about to wipe off the pitcher's sweat, until Wataru appeared out of nowhere. Wataru challenges the pitcher to a one-pitch match for Isumi's heart and her white towel, and the winner will get their sweat wiped by her, so the pitcher accepts the challenge. Wataru becomes the "pitcher" while the pitcher becomes the "batter". Wataru gets fired up and throws a fastball at the pitcher, but the pitcher somehow managed to swung the bat and hit a home run. Wataru lost the match and gets depressed even more. After Isumi wiped the pitcher's sweat off his cardboard face, she succeeds in exorcising the spirit of the dead manager. While Isumi nearly felt unconsious because of her exorcism, Hayate carries her to take her home while Saki carries Wataru to take him back to his store. But before that, Isumi thanked Wataru for his help, and he is relieved of his worries for her. Later that day, as they were going back to the store Saki tells Wataru that he did great on that day. Later that evening, back at the Sanzenin mansion, Hayate tells Nagi that Isumi only worked part-time as a manager. Maria appeared with a tea pot and the tea cups and tells Hayate and Nagi that they can't find strange stories throughout the world, and they agreed to her. To end this episode, Hayate, Nagi, and Maria laughed and wiggled their arms.

Cultural References

 * Denko-chan, mascot of TEPCO appears in the bus stop scene
 * Nagi's arm becoming longer was a reference to Monkey D. Luffy's attack Gomu Gomu no Pistol from One Piece.
 * Ayumu imitates Peko-chan who is the mascot for the confectionery company Fujiya.
 * Keel Lorenz's SEELE 01 monolith from the Neon Genesis Evangelion, appears before Saki Kijima.
 * After Wataru gets defeated by the pitcher, Wataru says the quote: "I'm burnt out". This and the depression scene are references to the last episode of Ashita no Joe .