Chapter 1

'''Hayate no Gotoku! Chapter 1:''' Santa's Red Is A Blood-Colored Hell (サンタの赤は血の色地獄)

Characters in order of Appearance

 * 1) Ten no Koe
 * 2) Hayate Ayasaki
 * 3) Nagi Sanzenin
 * 4) Santa Claus
 * 5) Magazine publisher No.1
 * 6) Magazine publisher No.2
 * 7) Magazine publisher No.3
 * 8) Ayu
 * 9) Unnamed Shiomi classmate
 * 10) Souya Minamino
 * 11) Hijiri
 * 12) Shun Ayasaki
 * 13) Mrs. Ayasaki
 * 14) Bicycle Delivery Manager
 * 15) Kashiwagi (Scar-Eyed Yakuza)
 * 16) Bald Sensitive Yakuza
 * 17) Straight Haired Yakuza
 * 18) Sunglasses Kidnapper
 * 19) Beanie Kidnapper
 * 20) Maria

Summary
We're introduced to the main character Hayate Ayasaki who has run out of luck and decided to become a "bad person", with the narrator amusingly pointing out that he's not a pervert and he's the main character.

Hayate meets Santa in his dream and asks him why he didn't bring him any presents, Santa openly states that it's because his family is poor and begins to drift away whilst saying, "The honest and earnest are the ones who deserve the last laugh." Hayate chooses to believe these words and the scene shifts to a couple of editorial staff eagerly awaiting a manuscript.

They're shocked when the industry's fastest bicycle messenger arrives, Hayate Ayasaki in the nick of time, but trips on a pebble causing him to crash very badly. Much to the staff's astonishment the boy gets up in a matter of seconds and delivers the manuscript.

Hayate meets his classmates from his "ordinary high school", they are attending a Christmas Eve party and invite Hayate to join them which he declines saying that he has no money and he's on his part-time job. Much to the classmates' annoyance they start to question him about his dedication to work which Hayate states his parents are unemployed.

This calms the classmates and sends them into despair ultimately feeling sorry for Hayate, although not known to his classmate, that his parents were wasting their money on gambling and stupid dreams. Hayate is then fired from his bicycle delivery job because he lied about his age, the manager has given all of Hayate's pay to his parents and Hayate rushes home to stop them from wasting his salary. He is too late as all that was left were a note, saying they blew the money on Pachinko, and 12 Yen.

Hayate finds an envelope stuck to the window, he finds an IOU with 150 million Yen on it. Much to Hayate's despair it seems the Yakuza has come to collect Hayate which his parents sold him off to. Hayate then decides to jump out and escape.

Hayate is now lost and doesn't know what he should do, after much thought he decides to kidnap a young girl he sees next to a vending machine. Just as he was about to commit the vile deed two young men start hitting on the young girl which Hayate scares off stating, "Keep your hands off my prey!"

The Little Girl thanks Hayate for saving her, Hayate sees how cold she is and softly places a warm jacket over her. The girl states that it's a cheap coat and states how badly it's stitched but she's happy because it's warm.

The Little Girl states that she wants to show her appreciation to Hayate and states she'll do anything. Hayate pleased with the opportunity asks the girl to be his when in actual fact he meant "as a hostage", the young girl oblivious to that fact took it as a confession of love for her. She accepts whilst her heart is beating rapidly and gives Hayate her phone number, as Hayate's plan is coming along fantastically he messes it up by stating his name over the phone call he made for ransom.

Hayate is now deeply depressed and begins to lose all hope and eventually falls asleep on the snowy pavement. Then as he had begun to fall asleep he gets trampled by a bicycle belonging to a young woman. The narrator starts to end the chapter saying "The curtains closed on the boy's life." Which the young woman states "We just started, don't end it too fast."

Anime Adaption

 * Hayate no Gotoku! Season 1 Episode 1.

Trivia

 * In the beginning of the chapter, Nagi is seen standing in front of vending machine that has the Coca-Cola logo on the side of it.
 * During his dream sequence as a child, Hayate tells Santa that he wanted a Game Boy.
 * The protagonist and his friends from Kenjiro Hata's previous work Heroes of the Sea Life Savers, Souya Minamino, Hijiri and Ayu make a cameo appearance in this chapter.
 * Before planning to kidnap Nagi, Hayate brings up Nello and his dog, Patrasche. These are the main characters from the novel and anime series A Dog of Flanders.
 * While in deep thought Hayate brings up Lupin and Phantom Thief Kid who are characters that appear in the series Lupin the III and Magic Kaito/Detective Conan respectfully.