This chapter isn’t really about her.
After a chapter that brought about a lengthy debate on the morality of heroism and sacrifice which nobody really cared about, we have a lighter chapter that only gives us two simple messages, so I will be brief as well.
The first message is that Hayate is completely doomed in the competition – although he might have realised this in the last chapter, here he is initially encouraged by Nagi and Ayumu, so his revelation in the last chapter can be negated. Of course it is far too early to give up before even giving it a try, so the main point Nagi and Ayumu raise is that they should give it a try.
And they do give it a try.
Burning out way too fast.
I am not sure what to make of the fact that the two girls decide to give up after one hour. Of course, the workload is extremely heavy with just one cook and two waitresses, but surely they – as “Team Donguri” which has been doing part-time job for the past few months – should have lasted a little longer than one hour? I know, I won’t go “Wow! They have managed to work for two hours instead of one, how wonderful!”, but still it is quite a pity to learn that they give up so quickly.
What is most pitiful of the short struggle is that both Nagi and Ayumu fail to impress Hayate as his partners. You certainly won’t be hearing Hayate complimenting Nagi or Ayumu as “reliable” – although Nagi wouldn’t need that compliment for her relationship with Hayate anyway. Their help for Hayate lasts for such a short time that it becomes insignificant, and Hayate might simply think that he has had no help at all. As a result, Hayate gives up struggling altogether.
He really needs a miracle.
It might not be the end of the world, however. Chiharu and Kayura might wake up at night, Maria might return after taking care of Hinagiku, Hinagiku herself might also return once she recovers, and Athena… well, forget about it. Although it is almost impossible to earn over 8 million in the third and last day, but a 0.00001% chance is still a chance. “Never tell me the odds,” said Han Solo, who shot first. That being said, if Hayate indeed has a 0.00001% chance of winning, then he is pretty much doomed.
The second message is that a new ship has been built out of absolutely nowhere. Now, before we go killing Hayate, let us rejoice in the good news that the ship doesn’t involve him, but his brother. The other half of the ship is more jaw-dropping though: it is not Athena or even Ayumu, but Fumi. Yep, that Hibino Fumi.
This is supposed to be romantic, isn’t it?
Well, we shouldn’t have a problem with the fact that she exists, because where she has arrived for vacation is a public beach after all. Maybe we shouldn’t have a problem with the fact that Fumi falls for Ikusa, because if we are okay for some girls falling for Hayate, we should also be okay with Ikusa-Fumi as it follows a similar pattern – for now, at least.
It all begins with the girl in a bind (in this case, Fumi cannot open her fish sausage), then the boy comes to her aid in cool fashion (in this case, Ikusa opening the fish sausage), says something cool and then leaves the girl with the sight of his back. This trick – plus or minus a few details – has helped Hayate steal the hearts of the likes of Ayumu and Hinagiku, and now it helps Ikusa steal the heart of Fumi. It seems that this little trick of “playing the hero” is a special move of the Ayasaki family.
You can’t really fault love at first sight.
Of course, neither Hayate nor Ikusa has intended to steal the hearts of the girls in the first place. It is also quite a stretch to compare the Hayate-Ayumu ship and the Hayate-Hinagiku ship, which have gone through so many emotional ups and downs over 400 chapters, to the Ikusa-Fumi ship, which has just been built. Yet for one thing we do not have ground to sink the Ikusa-Fumi ship for now, and for another things might get interesting as Fumi pursuits Ikusa.
Given that Fumi has been set as the next Student Council President of Hakuou Academy, there should be something more in Fumi than her arithmetic brilliance. Is it about time for Fumi to show how awesome she really is?
Hayate Report 