Kaichou wa Maid sama! (会長はメイド様! – The Student Council President is a Maid!), is a shoujo manga written and illustrated by Fujiwara Hiro. It has been animated and aired starting April 1, 2010 with a total of 26 episodes. A special “Kaichou wa Maid-sama! Special” will air on April 2011. No news on a possible Season 2 in the near future (everything is dependent on sales).

The opening and ending themes are:

1. “My Secret” by Saaya Mizuno
2. “Yokan (予感)” by Heidi (ep. 1-15)
3. “∞ Loop (∞ ループ)” by Heidi (ep. 16-present)

An all-boys school, Seika High School, has recently been co-ed and Ayuzawa Misaki is chosen to lead as the President of the Student Council. With the female population of the school, a dwindling minority, living in fear of the wild boys, Misaki takes it upon herself to reform the school to a safer environment for the girls. Unfortunately, she gains a reputation among the boys as an uptight male-hater.

Adding to her problems, Misaki is forced to take on a well-paying part-time job in a Maid Café due to her family’s financial situation. Her father left them (her mother, younger sister and her) with his debt and they are forced to live hand to mouth. Things take a turn for the worse when Takumi Usui, a popular and good-looking valedictorian who is constantly turning girls down, discovers her “after hours past time.”

APRIL • MAY • JUNE • JULY • AUGUST • SEPTEMBER

April 1, 2010 Episode 1: Misaki is a Maid

Protagonist Misaki, 17, leads a very demanding life. During school hours, she has to safeguard the girls in a highly male populated school, and relentlessly reform the boys to acceptable standards of behavior. Most of the male students fear and even some hate her.

Then she has extra-curricular activities, mainly that of the President, to monitor that the school runs smoothly. After school, she secretly works as a waitress in a Maid Cafe out-of-town, to avoid being caught by schoolmates in the embarrassing cosplay-like-outfit. After her job, she still has to study, to keep up her grades in school.

Until one day, popular Takumi Usui bumps into her at the café as she is taking out the trash. Weirdly enough, he doesn’t tell everyone in school about this juicy tidbit. In fact, he seems to enjoy being the only person to know this fact, and regularly visits Misaki at the Maid Cafe. When a bunch of bullies (often referred to as the Idiot Trio) from school suddenly appear at the café one day, and realize that Misaki works there, they begin to harass her only to have Usui mysteriously appear and save her.

Shirakawa Naoya, aka, Shiroyan, (also known as the White Demon in middle school) has a bone to pick with Misaki after she rips off his earring when he refused to remove it in school. When he and his friends stumble upon Misaki at the café, they were going all out to harass her, but when she is defended by Usui, they quickly flee the scene and later, even become her biggest supporter and regulars of the Cafe. Idiot Trio #2 is Sarashina Ikuto aka Ikkun, is a closet otaku with a penchant for manga illustrations.  Idiot Trio #3 is Kurosaki Ryuunosuke aka Kurotatsu, is a perv and a delinquent.

Having been overworked, Misaki faints into Usui’s arms. He brings her home and wraps her up in his baby blue scarf. She returns the scarf the next day, and thanks him for coming to her rescue. She tells him that she dislikes people like him who makes things look effortless but is thankful for him saving her. She uses the analogy of her running out of breath to keep up with him, while he jogs ahead and from time to time, runs back to her to check on her status.

Usui is a quiet observer who is extremely popular in school. He is very well-educated and seem to be of the upper crust of society. Because of his popularity and good-looks, girls are always confessing their love to him, which he systematically rejects. Misaki considers this as a form of bullying, as with each rejection, the girl hurries away in tears.

In response to Misaki’s analogy, Usui proposes a solution for her – be a maid to him for a day.

April 8, 2010 Episode 2: A Maid Even in the School Festival!

After rejecting countless ideas from the boys, they finally revolt and rebel against her. During the school festival, they hang the girls out to dry, and leave them running a class café by themselves. In the end, Misaki steps in, and with the help of Usui, get things rolling. As she apologizes to the boys, they finally relent and join in the fun too. Later they will come to see that she is actually a fair and just President who helps anyone in need.

At the end of the end, Misaki rests in the forest while the rest heads to the bonfire. Usui finds her here, corners her and whispers sweet nothings to her. He tells her, that he will never tell everyone “their” secret, as he wants to keep her being HIS maid all to himself.

April 15, 2010 Episode 3: What Color is Misaki? Natural Color?

The Café is having a “sister day” where all the maids call the customers Oni-chan / Oni-tan / Onee-chan (brother/sister) instead of goshujin-sama (master). Misaki, however, has a hard time going through with the exercise, and after getting labeled as a “conceited girl” by one of the maids, Honoka, she decides to try her best instead of giving up. Usui, of course, solicits Misaki at the café, but teases her by saying that she farted in front of him and wanting water from the Alps. When she can no longer take his ceaseless and merciless ribbing, she snaps at him by calling him a perverted older brother. It looks like the trick may have just worked. Later on, the Cafe Manager, Satsuki, asks the maids what color Ranger they wanted to be on Maid Ranger day. At first, he suggests transparent, as a “color” for her. After carefully considering the question, he decides that Misaki is best suited for white; white being the color to influence other colors. However, he will influence her color with his.

Satsuki is a 30-year-old woman who is manager of the Café Latte. She tells Misaki time and again that manning the Café is a joy to her because it allows her to make others happy. She is very understanding and perceptive of other people’s feelings, particularly Misaki’s circumstances in working in the Café and Usui constant appearance.

Back in school the next day, Usui gets another confession, just as Misaki comes to the rescue of a boy as a ladder is about to fall on him. Usui is pleasantly surprised by this act, and in turn, tells the confessing girl that he likes everything and anything that has to do with maids, including dressing as one. Usui then goes up to Misa, as he calls her, with every intention of bringing her to the nurse’s office for her injured arm, hurt by the falling ladder. He, however, had to tease her a little more, first by cornering her against a wall. Then he coyly asks her to remove her clothes – to see her wound. After Misaki’s arm is bandaged, she casually states that she would even save him, Usui, if the time arises.

They both head to the café after school and Usui tells the manager to “help” Misaki out during the day without looking like she’s really helping because of her injury. Helping her will only make her work even harder. He knows her too well and has the manager floating in the air.

April 22, 2010 Episode 4: Net Idol Aoi-chan

Hyoudou Aoi, an exhibitionist from the famous net idol, joins the Café and have all the boys going crazy at the sight of her. Satsuki claims that Aoi is her niece, and unknown to everyone, Aoi is really her nephew, son to her older brother. He just happens to enjoy dressing like a girl.

As Usui patronizes the Café, Aoi begins flirting with him, only to be rejected as Usui only has eyes for Misaki. Aoi cannot resist Usui, claiming he has pheromones oozing out from him. Worst, Aoi cannot comprehend why Usui likes Misaki as she even agrees that Aoi is cuter than herself. During all this time, Aoi tries to be part of the staff, only to have Usui be hired temporarily as a part-time cook when the Café’s cook becomes ill. The girls are allowed to taste his cooking – except for Aoi, who can only eat it, if she ordered it as a paying customer. At the end of the shift, Aoi chides Misaki’s choice of dressing, unfeminine with man’s clothes. In a bit of a scuffle/ carrying of Aoi, Misaki suddenly realizes something.

Unfortunately for Usui, this is not the end to Aoi’s tricks. The next day, Aoi corners Usui. Usui, unaffected by Aoi’s “charms,” tells her to move (Doke!). She refuses. So Usui questions her motive while cornering her, “What do you want to do to me?” Aoi replies, “To be mine only.” Misa walks in just as Usui accidentally falls atop Aoi. Misa immediately send a flying kick towards Usui for being such a pervert and slaps Aoi. Instead of being jealous, Misaki reprimands Aoi for playing a fool of people, as she pulls his wig off. She tells Aoi that, “This is not a contest. Impress those who laugh at you by facing them straight on.” (Even as Aoi tries to find an excuse for his unsightly behavior) Of course, Usui claims that he knew Aoi was a boy all along, which is why he toyed with him.

A few days later, Aoi returns to the Café, this time dressed in a male school uniform. He tells Misaki that he is giving up on reforming after being insulted and lectured by others. Misaki says, “I like you.” He replies, “I hate you.” “I know,” came the reply. Later, they both leave the Café together as Aoi tries to convince Misaki into being more feminine. Little does he know, that Misaki dresses the way she does partly because of her family’s financial situation. As it begins to rain, the pair take shelter under a shop, while a robbery takes place. Misaki immediately stops the thief with her bare hands, while Aoi tries to reason and stop the fool on the danger of the situation. After her success in stopping the attempted robbery, Aoi looks at Misaki in a new light. He has never seen a woman as she is. Misaki tells him, she is best the way she is, a masculine female. The irony of the situation doesn’t escape Aoi as he looks at himself, the feminine male. The light bulb goes off, as he suddenly realizes why Usui has fallen for Misaki and truly sympathizes with him.

Aoi has a short fuse and an even abbreviated patience. Kindness and affection doesn’t come easily for him, and he turns it quickly into anger. Being unable to properly express himself, he later offers Misaki fashion help, stating that she has such drabby sense. He promises to make clothes for her, and day later, he shows up and dresses Misaki in his own creation, a pink dress that has everyone in the Café thinking of a “Lolita Day.” Usui enters and catches this new look. After making a few unsightly comments, he is called a pervert (hentai) a few times by Misaki. He then replies, “It turns me on when you blush as so.”

These two need to get a room already.

April 29, 2010 Episode 5: Take Care Misaki! Stalkers are Here!

Yukimura from the Student Council is trying to finish up the paper work on the last school festival while the rest are fooling around. Misaki calls in from the Café to check on them and hears them goofing off. She warns Yukimura, that those boys will be “punished later.” Usui walks into the Café at that moment, and replies, “Don’t says things like that. It turns me on.”

Recently, there is news spreading around town that there are stalkers who target cosplay café. Everyone, including Misaki is warned about this. The rest of the crew at the Café hauls in a box of tasers, pepper sprays and other weapons. Misaki insists she doesn’t need any of them as she has her Aikido. Even the Idiot Trio is worried about Misaki until they realize she doesn’t need protection as she is stronger than them. After finishing up paperwork for the Student Council, she happens upon her friend Sakura who is studying late in school. She walks her home, reminding Sakura that it is dangerous to be going home alone so late. (Pot calling the kettle black) Meanwhile, Usui “bumps” into her and walks her to the Café while warning her to be careful. He lingers on in the Café and spots two suspicious characters eyeing Misa. One of them purposely drops his spoon for Misaki to wait on him.

That night, Misaki volunteers to stay and wait for Satsuki’s return from a meeting. As she locks up and makes her final rounds of the shop, someone creeps up behind Misaki and grabs a hold of her from behind. After Misaki dislodges him into a fountain, she realizes it is Usui and scolds him. Usui tells her he’s pretending to be the stalker to get his “punishment.” Dripping, he reminds her that the back door is not locked. He warns her that she too is a girl. As she pushes him out the door, he mutters to himself that, “She really doesn’t understand.” Not sure if she heard the warning, but hopefully she heard the concern? As he leaves the shop, he sees two figures in the alley running away.  Did he just foil someone’s plans or is he being being overly cautious?

Next day, after school at work, the same two customers are appear again. This time, he drops a piece of glass while Misaki cleans up after them. “She is perfect!” One says to the other, and the other replies, “I can’t hold back anymore!”

That night, as Usui walks the streets of the city, he sees news of an escalation of attacks against Maid Cafés and begin to hurry towards HIS Café. Unfortunately he is waylaid by two women trying to get his attention. Meanwhile at the shop, Misaki is once again left alone while waiting for the return of Satsuki in yet another meeting. After checking that the back door is locked, she returns to the locker room to straighten out the arsenal of weapons when she hears noises coming from the back. She checks it out, only to be surprised by two guys showing up with a taser in hand. “Upstairs,” they say to her. She is realizes that these are the same regulars of the Café as they handcuff her and tape her mouth.

Usui finally reaches the shop. He sees that the lights are turned off and the back door is locked. He is about to leave when he hears men talking inside the café about a “Perfect maid.” He creeps up and sees Misa bound and taped, and is about to be attacked. As he breaks the window to become Misa’s knight in shinning armor, Misaki herself does the unthinkable. She snaps the handcuff in two and Aikido chops the stalkers. She tells them, “There is a limit of what you can dream. You think you know me?” and promptly gives them a glare and kicks them. Simultaneously, Usui breaks the window of the Café trying to come to her aid. He ends up laughing at himself for worrying about her. He asks the duo what they thought Misaki was. They said that they wanted to be punished by her. Usui then grabs Misaki and warns the duo that, “This is MY cute maid. She’s not available to anyone else.” Misaki blushes to that. I don’t think she realizes that Usui just marked his territory and possession.

The cops pick up the perps as Usui and Misaki lingers outside. He catches Misaki watching him, and as she blushes once again, she says, “Thank you, Usui.” Satsuki finally shows up, only to exclaim that she saw them watching each other. Maybe she should have come later. However, she faints at the sight of the gaping hole in her shop.

Days later, after the brouhaha, the staff and Aoi share a relaxing moment retelling the story. Aoi exclaims that only Misaki would be able to stop stalkers like those two as he plays with her cellphone and sets up her wallpaper. He puts up her recent picture with her dressed in the gown he made for her. As Misaki fumbles to change the wallpaper, the picture eventually ends up in Usui’s phone too.

May 6, 2010 Episode 6: The Man • Ayazawa School

A group of five brothers, Yumeyama Brothers, claim themselves to be Ayazawa Misaki’s disciples. Soon after, they begin to follow/stalk her where ever she goes. They realize she must have a part-time job too, and beg her to let them see her at work. The three idiots, thankfully, come to her rescue, only to end in failure with all eight boys trying to follow her to work. Usui catches her in time and hides her from the loonies. “When have you become so popular?” But also questions her reasons for not allowing them to see the other side of her.

At the Café, Usui challenges Misaki to a card game after collecting enough points to play. Usui wins the game easily and requests for a picture with Misaki.

The next day in school, the stalking begins. The brothers are at the girls bathroom, lunch room and even at the Student Council catching up on Misaki. When she leaves for work once again, the beg her to let them follow. Again she is pulled to safety by Usui. She tells Usui, that even though the boys are a pain, she does like passionate boys. That gets a twinkle in his eye. This goes on for a few days, with him coming to her rescue in perfect time. She tells him that she doesn’t want to disappoint them with their idealistic view of her once they realize she works as a maid. At work, the three idiots, having collected enough points too, come to challenge Misaki to the card game in hopes of getting a picture with her. She finishes before he even begins. She realizes that Usui is the only one able to beat her and wonders what he’s doing with her picture.

The next day, after teaching the brothers Aikido, Misa goes up to the roof to catch some air. There, she bumps into Usui, who is staring fondly at the picture of them. On this windy day, Misaki and Usui begin their argument of why Misaki will not let the boys know her job as a maid. Is she doing it for their sake? Or is it to protect herself from the possible embarrassment? She tells him that it “hurts to let people down who believe in me.” As she says that, she reaches for the photo and snatches it away. Unfortunately, in the scuffle, the photo takes off with the wind, which sends it flying straight to the brothers. As Misaki freaks out, Usui calmly asks her if she wanted him to retrieve it. “I will get it,” Usui says as he readies himself for the jump from the roof of the school.

“Why would you do this?”

“Because,” Usui says as he kisses her, “I Love You.” He leaps.

“USUI!!!”  Misaki runs down the stairs thinking to himself, “What is he doing??!” As she rushes down, shaking in fear, she finally sees Usui safe.  He is sitting by the pool, drenched, with a few scratches on him and clothes torn (must have broken a few ribs in the process too), but he definitely saved the picture.

“I am too good,” Usui praises himself.

“Yes you are.”

The brothers run toward the commotion and see a drenched Usui and a shaking Misaki. They ask her what is going on.

“The truth is, my part-time job is…”

Before she even finishes, Usui stops her by covering her mouth with his hand. He tells them instead, that he “buys her services after school.” The boys illogically conclude that Misaki is Usui’s bodyguard. But then again, what does Usui do?

Usui is finally admitted into the hospital. When Misaki visits him, he asks her to nurse him with her maid uniform.

“Yappali, hentai!” “He’s definitely a pervert. A perverted alien!”

May 13, 2010 Episode 7: The Debut of Miyabigaoka Academy’s Student Council President

Misaki still thinks about the incident on the roof with Usui. With that on her mind, she messes up badly at work. A still bandaged Usui visits her at work. She pushes him away and tells him to stop playing with her feelings. He is a little taken aback. Suddenly, Misaki gets a call from Sakura telling her about a fight between Seika High’s students with the well-off Miyabigaoka’s students. She rushes to the scene to break up the fight. Bespectacled Miyabigaoka student, Koganei Hirofumi, tells Misaki that indeed the rumors surrounding Seika High is true. They are savages and ruffians. Misaki forces the two boys of Seika to apologize but they refuse.

Back at school, Misaki worries about the school’s reputation after painstakingly building it up. Usui visits Misaki at the Student Council’s room and sees Yukimura in need of a helping hand with his towering paperwork. Usui sees this as an opportunity to ease Misaki’s mind. After helping Yukimura, Usui immediately kisses him. This shocks everyone, but Misaki sees this only as Usui’s “reward” as he had claimed from her and nothing more. With that, she is ready to take on the Miyabigaoka problem.

She corners the two boys to get their side of the story. The boys were taking an interest in chess, but the Miyabigaoka students not only looked down on them, but called them penniless flies. Misaki, the two boys, and Usui head to Miyabigaoka to demand an apology. At the prestigious Academy, Hirofumi wonders why Usui was there. The VP perhaps? “No, I study Sociology,” came Usui’s reply. When Misaki demands an apology for the boys, Hirofumi brushes her off, saying, “I hate brainless poor people.”

Fine. “We will take this matter to your Student Council,” Misaki replies.

As Hirofumi mutters at how ridiculous the situation is, he then challenges them to a game of chess. If they win, they will get an apology from him. After Usui takes on the challenge, Hirofumi proudly admits that he is the nation’s fourth-ranked chess player.

“So?” Usui inquired.

“Don’t ask me to go easy on you.”

In five moves, after Hirofumi smugly takes on Usui’s decoy Bishop, Usui checkmates Hirofumi. After the humiliating defeat, Hirofumi runs to the Student Council President for help. Igarashi Tora, the Student President of Miyabigaoka scolds Hirofumi instead.

As the Seika students return home, Misaki comments on what a hassle the students of Miyabigaoka are. To which Usui replies that she’s the bigger hassle. Not hearing him, she continues that rich people are all like that. At that point, Usui quiets down.

The next day, Igarashi Tora leads his delegates of Miyabigaoka’s Student Council to apologize to Seika High. Tora even promises to expel the boys in question. He butters Misaki up with his apparent genteel upbringing, by saying that the rumors about her beauty and justice is true. When she punches out two boys, he changes the statement to “strong and still beautiful.” He then offers her to join their Student Council by transferring to Miyabigaoka. The school will even set up a scholarship for her.

Looks can be deceiving. The moment he leaves Seika High, he reveals himself to be a lecherous young man who has become bored with the women around him. He thinks money can buy anything, as the women of his school submit to him. He orders his VP, Maki Kanade, to spy on Misaki to trap her.

Back at the Café, the girls turn the shop around for female customers as the maid become butlers. Misaki is widely accepted by all the girls, but one comment strikes her as odd. They indicated that Misaki should be, “Dominant and Passive.” She wonders out aloud to herself what it means, as Usui has a shift as the chef. As the day ends, Usui is about to change clothes, when Misaki walks in and sees him bare-chested. Since Misaki has said that she was a guy the entire day, Usui asks her to change with him. “Guys change together. Unless you want me to undress you?”

Misaki immediately blushes. Usui smoothly whispers to her, “You are a girl, Ayuzawa. This is what it means to be dominant and passive.” He walks away.

Misaki is baffled and confused by Usui’s actions once again. Stop messing with me!

Maki returns to Tora to share with him his findings. Misaki is a maid. It seems Usui senses that Tora is up to no good, and has given Misaki warnings. But the girl is too dense for her own good.

May 20, 2010 Episode 8: Misaki to Miyabigaoka Academy

The Miyabigaoka boys, lead by VP Maki make a home visit to Misaki. They come baring gifts from Tora who wants her to transfer to Miyabigaoka, and even opens the invitation to her sister, Suzuna.  She has three days to decide. Misaki wonders if her sister would jump at a chance to be in a prestigious school, to which she replies, “If I had money, I would rather buy real crabs instead of making tofu crab for dinner.”

In school, other students who overheard the offer assume that Misaki will not be able to turn down an offer like that. The two boys who Misaki stood up for come to her defense. “She stood up for us, when no one would. She alone believed in us and even went to Miyabigaoka to demand an apology on our behalf.”

Misaki has conflicting response to whether she should stay or go. Even Usui is leaving her to decide on her own.

When the day finally comes, she heads to Miyabigaoka herself. She unintentionally walks into a trap set by Tora. After drinks are spilled on her, by Maki, she is shown to the girls shower room. Her uniform is taken, and the only remaining piece of clothing is a maid’s uniform. It’s that or walking around in a towel confronting Tora.

He immediately finds her a worthless and easy opponent, having fall for his scheme so easily. He even reveals that he knows she is a maid at a Café. He locks her in the room guarded by his henchmen. She comes to realize that this is his true lecherous and deceitful self. He throws money at her, and asks, “Is this enough for you to entertain me? You came, lured by the money. You are just like any other women.”

Undeterred, she replies, “It is your fault that others are worthless. No one is worthless. I came to reject your offer.” She will never leave Seika High. She turns to leave, but is pinned on the table with his Judo even though she tries to unhand him with her Aikido. As he slowly approaches her to kiss her (and even do the unthinkable), she quietly whispers, “Usui.”

In a flash, the door flings open and in walks Usui, her Knight in Shining Armor. “Here!” he announces his presence after beating Tora’s minions into a pulp. “She’s not someone you can touch,” and unhands her from Tora’s grasp, “…perverted brother.”

As they leave the room, he comments that he can’t believe she were fooled by Tora. Before giving her a chance to get riled up, Usui produces her school uniform. Where he finds the time to get her uniform is beyond me. She realizes she was just saved, again, and quietly says, “Thank you,” while blushing profusely. He is nicely surprised that she even called out to him. She argues, “That was not meant to be heard.” But, “I heard it.” 😀

Leaving the grounds of Miyabigaoka, they find a crowd of Seika High students standing outside waiting for their President to return. Her friends have roused the students into action, each believing that their President is worthy of their loyalty and trust. Just as they are part of Seika, so she is.

May 27, 2010 Episode 9: A Maid as far as Momotarou Goes

Warning: filler!

In this dream sequence of the retelling of a popular Japanese folklore, Momotarou, Misaki plays the part of Momotarou, the peach boy/girl and Usui the demon. The dog, pheasant and monkey are played by the three idiots, with Usui being their ringmaster. The group heads to an island to find the missing women from a nearby village, supposedly kidnapped by the demon. In the end, after reaching the island, Misaki realizes the girls were not taken against their will, but came here on their own because of the selfish ways of the men in the village. Through Usui’s narration of Misaki’s dream sequence, they soon began dating.

June 3, 2010 Episode 10: The Love of Sakura in the Indies

Warning! Warning! Yet ANOTHER filler!

Misa’s good friend, Sakura, has fallen in love with an indie rock band’s lead vocalist. Kuuga of said rock band, Umemishi, invites Sakura to a tea party in a café. When Usui realizes that Misaki has a “date” with her girlfriends, he questions her on the details. Only the girls? Where? With whom? To see a male band? What will you be doing? She dismisses him soon after that.

The girls finally get to the café where, ironically, the Idiot Trio work (to save up for time at the Maid Café). Kuuga begins chatting the girls up, only to soon hit on Misaki while ignoring Sakura. Kuuga tells Misaki that he is just being considerate to Sakura by paying her this fan service, but he’s really not interested in her. He is, however, interested in Misaki. Even his bandmate, Kou, tries to stop Kuuga’s uninvited attention towards Misaki, but no no avail. He is way out of his league if he thinks he can get Misaki without bypassing Usui first. He comes to her rescue disguised as a waiter, when Kuuga harasses her outside the girl’s toilet, only to label himself as just a stalker and not her boyfriend. After Kuuga leaves, Usui tells a flustered Misaki that he too gets annoyed sometimes, but he can’t help himself as he is quite possessive. He doesn’t understand the situation before him, but he tries to give her the best advice on dealing with such circumstance. Before he leaves, he pats her on her head.

Back at the table, Kuuga persists with his flirtations, which soon turns to insults on Misaki. Sakura finally can’t take the affront on Misaki’s character and she stands up for her telling Kuuga to stop his hurtful words. Misaki, finally understanding Usui and Sakura’s words, stands up for herself and her friend. This is not being considerate to a fan who was eagerly awaiting for this day. Sakura deserves someone better than a lecherous freak like him.

As the girls leave the café, Misaki pats Sakura on her head (akin to how Usui patted hers earlier) and embraces a crying Sakura. Sakura then vows to find someone who will pat her head like this, someone who will truly love her for who she is, much like Usui with Misaki.

At the train station, Usui awaits Misaki. “You’re late, President,” Usui remarks fondly. He follows her home, as she realized she has someone who pats her head endearingly and accepts her for who she is.

June 10, 2010 Episode 11: Closing in on Takumi Usui’s Secret

Usui visits Misaki’s family. It’s about time!

Usui chances upon Misaki’s mom as he helps her carry her fallen apples home. “Has anyone told you you’re really open?” Usui asks while she tells him everything about Misaki as they walk home. She invites him in for tea with Suzuna.

Misaki returns home to well-patched floors, and sees Usui chatting up her family. In shock, she immediately drags him to a park warning him to stay away from her home. Sakura and Shizuko sees the pair, and assumes they are dating since they were holding hands. Her mom is easily tricked but Usui’s not that underhanded to hoodwink her mom into letting a stranger into their home. But he certainly understands her a little more now; her carefully carved bunny ears apples and her height when she was younger. Only he knows her secret(s).

The next day, the two friends force Misaki to fess up about her relationship with Usui. Misaki promptly clears up the misunderstanding. But Sakura only digs deeper. “So you don’t go to his home?” “Know his address?” “He’s mysterious. Maybe he’s rich.” As Sakura carries on with her monologue, Usui happens to hear her assumptions of him.

After school, Misaki heads to the Maid Latte. Sakura and Shizuko tail Usui to the Café and call Misaki up to see if she wants to stalk him too. Misaki hurriedly leaves work in case they walk into the Café while she is working. They are shocked that Usui actually visits the Maid Latte. They hypothesize that he likes someone who works in the Café. Usui finally leaves the Café as they continue to stalk him; following him from the Sports Club, catching the eye of the girls there, to a high-class tailor shop where a normal suit costs ¥500,000, to a high-class restaurant where they thought he was meeting a beautiful girl, to playing Go, baseball, looking after children and helping pedestrians at the cross walk. By the time night falls, the girls have finally given up on their wild goose chase around town.

As they say their goodbyes, Misaki happens upon Usui tending to an abandoned kitten by the roadside. This is the first time she has shown an interest in him, which is why he allowed her to stalk him; letting her know that he knew the girls were tailing him. In return, he gives her his address, but she insists that she’s not interested. He gasps. “You like me no matter what my house or family looks like? … You can follow me home now.”

That night, as Usui prepares to retire for the night, he dons on his glasses and lets the rescued kitten, which didn’t cared for him too much by scratching and growling at him, remain in his apartment.

June 17, 2010 Episode 12: Still a Maid even in the Sports Festival

Misaki prepares herself for the 81st Sports Day, to fight for the girls and win them some school prizes.

Even after her disapproval, the boys manage to out-vote her by using Sakura as their prize for a game, whereby the winner wins Sakura’s kiss. Misaki vows to protect her friend from these lecherous boys. She takes on the 100m, 200m, 400m, 1000m and 1500m dash. She alone fights for the rights of the girls and wins them their prizes against the boys. But she’s winded, doing everything by herself. However, three boys in particular, led by Gouda (the cheese!) do not want to let her have all the glory and winnings. As they scheme on their final match to fight for Sakura’s kiss, Usui overhears them.

The match to win Sakura’s kiss is an all out terrain course, which pegs Gouda against a waning Misaki. During their second last course at the water, Gouda pushes Misaki in, in hopes to disqualify her once her falls into the pool, but Usui comes along and rescues her. Usui takes her place, but Misaki, unwilling to just fall back, tries to catch up to Gouda and Usui. Usui wins, followed by Misaki coming in second and finally Gouda. After he realized that the prize was just a kiss from Sakura, he hands it off to Misaki instead.

The last match of the day is a cosplay race. Yukimura, the VP of student council, finally gets up the nerve to take part even though he isn’t athletic. He picks up Misaki’s maid uniform created by the three idiots earlier, and gets teased for it. Misaki stops the laughing boys, and stands up for Yukimura as he tries his very best to prove his worth.

At the end of the day, Usui tends to Misaki’s multiple bruises on her body from her day of standing up and protecting the girls. He ends it with a kiss on her hand.

This man is too good to be true. Where can I find someone like him to swoon after and turn my head 360º?

June 24, 2010 Episode 13: With the Fool, the Defect and the Hero

Aratake of Seisen Middle School is looking for Shirokawa Nagoya, the White Devil who once led their group. His group of ruffians follow the three idiots to the Maid Café, unable to believe that this is what has become of Shiroyan.

The next day, the three idiots bump into Yukimura, the VP of the student council, who is forced to dress up as a girl by his fellow council members. The delinquents from Seisen arrive in time to mistake Yukimura as Shiroyan’s girl and kidnaps him, while issuing a challenge to him. Meanwhile, Misaki finds the discarded clothes in the student council room and goes in search of the missing owner with Usui. She finds the three idiots in a frenzy, telling her that the VP, dressed as a girl, has been kidnapped by students from Seisen middle School.

The group heads to Seisen and finds Aoi there as a student. He helps them look for the gang.

Aratake was once a weak boy picked on by others, but Shiroyan stood up for him. As the group suddenly fights amongst themselves, questioning who the real leader is, in walks the three idiots, Misaki, Usui and Aoi. Aratake gets beaten up by Shiroyan and after he sees his role model, bursts out crying, again. Shiroyan introduces the gang to his leader – Misaki. They promptly bow their head in respect to their new leader, as she ironically becomes the head of the delinquents.

As they leave, Yukimura is forgotten.

July 1, 2010 Episode 14: Class 1-7 Satorou Kanou

It seems that Seika High is getting a better rep with girls outside of school grounds. Perhaps Misaki can increase the population of girls the next term. Satorou Kanou overhears this, and begins meddling with the Student Council’s activities and affairs. He hates girls, and he will do anything to derail Misaki’s plans to increase the population in the school and to sabotage her presidency.

He hijacks the broadcast department to hypnotize her, and turn her into a drunk to ruin her image with the students. Usui comes to her rescue. He records her behavior as proof. The next day, Usui shows her her unruly behavior. She remembers who was the one who hypnotized her – Class 1-7’s Satorou Kanou! Kanou tries his trick on Usui, to make him hate her, but it doesn’t work on him. He will have to take Misaki down then.

He hypnotizes her again, if she falls asleep within 24 hours and rises from sleep, she will hate Usui, thus breaking the tag team. Misaki pulls an all-nighter, while Usui remains outside her house to keep her awake. The next morning, as they leave for school, she gets him breakfast – expired bun (better than nothing). Their efforts are for naught when Kanou manages to swap Yukimura’s blueberry supplement with sleep-inducing painkillers for Misaki. She succumbs to sleep with only 5 minutes left. Before drifting off, she wonders if she will remember their good times together, and how grateful she truly feels towards him.  Usui tells her, that if she doesn’t believe, the hypnotism will never work. Usui promises that he will keep saving her, and making her fall in love with him as much as she wished; telling her that all will be taken care of by her “Master.”

Did Kanou win? Or is Usui’s power of persuasion better?

July 8, 2010 Episode 15: School Visitation Association and a Glass Rabbit

Turns out, Misaki didn’t fall asleep. She was just pretending to. With Kanou’s failure, Misaki promptly deals out punishment. He is forced to help the girls in the school during the upcoming school’s cultural festival to introduce the school to potential students. It is only then, that Misaki realizes that Kanou’s gynophobic (irrational fear of women) stems from his mother abandoning him when he was young. His father warned him to be wary of all women. Forcing him to overcome his fear, Misaki finally earns the much deserved respect from Kanou.

In the mean time, Usui is dragged into the school’s festivities thanks to Misaki. He is forced to help with the lagging sports clubs, from football to baseball, to table tennis, to kendo until he finally drops.

He calls it a day, and carries Misaki out with him asking for his just reward for the day. She awkwardly pats his head and he asks, “Can I violate you?”

July 15, 2010 Episode 16: Maid Latte at a Beach Party

The three idiots head to the Café only to realize that the Café will be closed for the next few days. The staff is on a trip to the Manager’s sister’s beach house. They meet Nagisa and Aoi there. Even Usui is there as well, after being invited by the manager as a bodyguard for the girls. In case Misaki drowns, he can do mouth-to-mouth on her. They girls head out for a swim, but only Misaki has her school swimsuit on. But even that has Usui making googly eyes on her. When the other girls on the beach approach him, he ignores them.

Seems like the beach house/restaurant is not doing too good. The girls decide to turn on their Maid skills at the beach house, turning on their charms in a swimsuit and an apron. Misaki hides in the back and works with Aoi only to see the customers slowly swarming in. Business is booming! And Misaki should help out too, but not in her school swimsuit. Her manager, Sagisa, gives her a hot pink number and as Misaki changes into it, Usui wakes up in shock to see Misaki standing almost naked in front of him. He’s even more alarmed to learn that she will be heading out the way she was “dressed.” He quickly grabs her and leaves a hickey on her back. Now everyone will see that mark left on her back.

Misaki changes back into her T-shirt and shorts. After a tiring day, the crew gets their just reward in the form of free tickets to a nearby hot springs. However, Honoka, the other maids, begins to tell them that the area around the hot springs is haunted. What’s more, they will all be naked as they bask in the relaxing warmth of the spring water. Naked? Oh boy! There goes Misaki’s chance of relaxation and spending time with the rest. Her back! She feigns illness and is forced to remain in the house. Usui stays with her too.

With tears in her eyes (after everyone leaves), she blames Usui for her predicament. After ranting for a bit, she realizes that she is still holding on to the tickets! Even as scared as she is of the haunting, she runs after them, into the woods. She finally gets lost and begins to freak out when a hand suddenly grabs her out of no where. She lets out a scream only to realize it is Usui. She cries in shock and relief as Usui hugs her while she shakes. She asks him to let her go, but he says not until she calms down will he let her go. And this is how Aoi finds them, in a deep embrace in the middle of the woods. Get a room already.

Misaki finally gets to the hot springs only to be told by her manager that those tickets were extras. It wasn’t something that they needed.

July 22, 2010 Episode 17: Usui Turning into an Enemy

Still at the beach house for the second day in a row, Misaki greets the morning while brushes her teeth alongside Usui. They overhear Aoi and his aunt, Nagisa, conversing. If Aoi win the upcoming beach volleyball tournament, she will allow him to cross-dress in the restaurant and not do all the heavy lifting. However, she is ineligible to be his partner, as the age limit is 20 and she’s 4 years over that.

Misaki, touched by Aoi’s determination, becomes his partner. But Usui, after learning that the winning pair becomes the Beach Prince and Princess, begs Misa not to go. Not understanding his sudden displeasure, she pushes on. Finally the duo are all fired up, with their eyes a blazing to enter the tournament. They are surprised when Erika and Usui are named as one of the contestants too. They slide through their rounds, trouncing and scaring their opponents with their energy. Meanwhile, Usui wows the crowd (the girls) with his suaveness and charm while breezing through the rounds.

Misa rationalizes that maybe Usui is just trying to crush the rest of the tougher opponents for Aoi …or maybe not. Maybe he just wants to win. Now they are on the final round, and Usui/Erika are up against Aoi/Misa. With Usui/Erika winning the first set, Misaki wonders out aloud why has Usui suddenly become her enemy when he has always been a nice guy?! Saying the last part out loud really shocked Usui. Does she want Usui then?

In any case, they have a game to win. Aoi tries his hardest to get the toughest of dive balls and when he finally hits one, the ball flies  all the way to the other court, but Misaki will not let that ball go. She runs for it, saves it, but in doing so, looses her balance. As she is about to hit the umpire stand and injure herself, Usui dashes up to her, shields her from the bruising impact and saves the umpire from toppling over. With him injured, Aoi and Misaki wins the match. Misaki, however, skips the celebration that night to apologize to Usui.

“What if I say I don’t forgive you?” he asked.

He soon reveals that the only reason he didn’t want Misa to join and win the tournament is because he didn’t want her pictures taken as the beach princess and then seen by others. She is his only to look at and enjoy. He will not share her with others. However, Misa asks him if he didn’t see Aoi’s problem as a more important issue.

“No, you are more important to me,” he replies earnestly. “And I’m not joking.”

Under the starry night, by the beach, the two almost kiss. The magic is broken when fireworks begin to shoot. He, however, has his hand on her warm cheek. Flushed, she lamely states that it’s from the effects of the earlier sun.

Aoi becomes the new beach princess and the group decide to take a family picture before leaving the beach. Everyone else already know they are a couple, but Misa adamantly denies it. Elsewhere, the three idiots are camped out at the café willing Misaki to return from her beach vacation.

July 29, 2010 Episode 18: Even the Maid is a Footman

Kanou wants to get used to hanging out with girls by fraternizing with Yukimura. Then Misaki suddenly realizes she should repay Usui’s favors. She bumps into him, only for him to tell her that she can repay him by “serving as his personal maid for one day.” Well then, if that is all he wants… she can’t really say no can she? After all, he did save her from stalkers, perverts and hypnotists.  Leaving herself open, Usui counters her dejected answer with, “Were you prepared for lewd things to be done to you?”

At the Maid Café, the three idiots freak out because of a fortune cookie.  To shut them up, Misaki pulls a cookie that reads, “Return favors now.”

Suddenly, the Vice President of Miyabigaoka’s Student Council, Kanade Maki enters the café. They are planning a hostile takeover of the Maid Café. Kanade Maki is heir to the Maki dining conglomerate. They have bought over the entire building and will replace the Maid Café with a butler restaurant. Soon enough, the mastermind behind the evil scheme shows up: the President of the Student Council Igarashi Tora. Tora assures them that this is not a ruse. Maki has proven himself worthy of serving his master (Tora) and this business venture is only too perfect for him. A footman audition will be held soon. Before they leave, Maki leaves the terms and conditions of the contract to Satsuki, the manager, who stares at it in shock unable to digest the news. Misaki follows them out and questions their motive for picking the Maid Café to take over. Could it be because of her? Tora sends Maki away but tries to be funny with Misaki. Usui immediately appears and pulls her to the safety of his arms. She naively tells Tora that the store is very important to all of them, be it the workers or the clients. He laughs as her innocence, and sarcastically implies that she will still be working there after she graduates. By the way, “Why don’t you try out for that audition?” And as an after thought, “Oh yeah, it’s only for males.”

Days later, Misaki and Subaru enter the male-only footman auditions dressed as males. One of the conditions of the audtion is participation has to be in pairs. Entering the grounds, they see a huge crowd. It feels almost like American Idol audition except this has a promise of high pay from the Maki Group. The audition begins with a marathon testing the strength of the participants. One partner has to carry the other while running through the woods, uphill, and back into a gym. Only 50 pairs will make the first round cut. Two out of the three idiots are there too. They meet another pair with masks on and soon enough, Misaki sees Kanou and Yukimura there too. Misa quickly borrows Satsuki’s glasses to hide her identity.

At the gym, the idiots, Kanou/Yukimura and the masked pair are in. Soon enough, Tora the perverted tyrant shows up. As the difficulty of the audition progresses, Misaki and Subaru pass them with flying colors. However, during the challenge of speed, Subaru messes up. Everyone is given a minute to change to tailcoats. But when the time is up, Subaru’s identity as a girl is revealed as she isn’t quick enough. With Subaru disqualified, they begin to reveal the masked pair too. It is none other than Usui and Aoi, who are in to sabotage the takeover. However, Aoi is disqualified for being underage. Both partners are disqualified too, but Tora steps in and asks that Misa and Usui be paired. However, Misaki has to prove she’s a boy. She grabs Usui’s hand and plants it flatly on her chest. “Flat as a board,” a surprised but quickly recovered Usui says. As the contestants roar in laughter, Usui ruffles Misa’s hair.

On to the next rounds of audition as Usui and Misa form a new formidable team.

Aug. 5, 2010 Episode 19: Re-paired in the Footman Audion

The second part of the audition continues with Usui and Misaki working as a team while trying to hide Misa’s identity from Yukimura and Kanou. They go through another few more rounds of tasks: setting a table for afternoon tea, and simulating a butler service while entertaining. The contestants have to decide who they are preparing the tea for, thus choosing the correct linens, and tea sets. Deciding they will be setting up an English tea for the wives and ladies, Misa follows Usui’s lead on decorating the table. She can’t help herself but wonders, “Just how perfect can Usui get?”

They get a break after that, where Yukimura and Kanou approaches Usui, who feigns ignorance of them and calls himself, “Nott Usui.” Elsewhere, Misa has an identity dilemma as she is forced to choose between the women’s or the men’s restroom. Upon returning to the stage, she vows she will not be so reckless anymore. Usui gives her their number #49 for the next tasks: butler service simulation. Yukimura sees Mr. Nott Usui again on stage and approaches him. In their cover-up, Misaki gets pushed off stage. But Usui, seeing this, comes to her rescue as her protector and gets hurt in the process.

Usui is forced to carry on, even with a badly injured arm. He puts on a good face, but Misaki realizes he is hurt. Maki, the invigilator, offers to to call a doctor, but Usui refuses stating he is well. Finally their turn comes up in the competition, and the bruise on his left arm and wrist becomes more swollen. Misaki does all the heavy lifting, but Maki points out she is just covering for Usui. As Maki tries to corner Usui, he steps up the plate and produces a violin. He begins to play it, producing beautiful music, even with an injured arm and a possibly broken wrist. He is forced to play through the entire course of dinner, as Usui bites the bullet, trying his damnest to continue for her sake. Misaki, seeing his condition, finally tells him that it is more than enough. She makes him stop. She apologizes to Maki that Usui’s arms are injured and he needs help right away.

Just as it is about to spiral downhill for them, Misaki gains momentum when she begins talking about the virtues of being a butler. Them naming their butler restaurant “Caring Hearts” shouldn’t be by name only. The Maid Café’s employees truly care for and support each other. In that way, they can truly serve their customers fully.She excuses herself, and the maids spring into action trying to rush Usui to the hospital.

Using the Old England’s way of training butlers, the masters never compromised with the employees. But Misaki may have hit a nerve with Maki and made him see her viewpoint instead. Looks like Maki has a change of heart. They will be setting up shop elsewhere instead.

The Maid Café resumes its operations as Misaki heads to the hospital to tend to Usui. He, however, leaves the hospital against the better judgment of the doctors. Misaki finds him at his barren home. She quickly realizes that he is running a fever and threatens to bring him back to the hospital if he doesn’t rest soon. Then she mumbles, “Please…just get well.” After her abrupt concern, she becomes nervous and begins to asks questions in rapid succession: “Did you call you parent?” “Why did you leave the hospital” “Have you eaten anything?” Usui jumps at the last question, as his chance to eat her cooking. However, she overcooks her rice, turning it into a soup-like goo that isn’t quite porridge. He laments that he can’t lift up the spoon, and suggests that she feed him. Oh, and he doesn’t like pipping hot food either. After eating, he begins to settle in for a nap. She tries to help him undress, but he just stares at her causing a blush to creep up.

Feeling very guilty for his situation, she apologizes for his condition, blaming her dependence on him for his infirmity. She owes him once again. She thought she’s independent, but it seems like without him, she’s just useless. He embraces her in a warm hug. “That’s really unfair of you, Ayazawa,” he says. “I’ve also relied on you.”

“Uso!” (you’re lying) she replies.

Hasn’t she realized? She’s just right for him. “It’s unfair for you, because of how clueless you are.”

*blush*

Aug. 12, 2010 Episode 20: The Vice-President is a Prince? & Aoi and the Happy Friends

*FILLER!*

Yukimura has a younger sister who loves to make-believe she’s a princess. Worse, Ruri refuses to acknowledge her brother who she thinks is not the ideal prince. A chance meeting with Usui, makes her fantasize about her chances with her true “prince.” Yukimura manages to persuade Usui to go on one date with Ruri to score brownie points with her. However, his ploy backfires as Ruri now sees Usui as her big brother instead of him. Kanou and Misaki try to break them up unsuccessfully by scaring them and acting as the third wheel. Ruri, however, is on to them and hurriedly runs into the Maid Café in anger. She topples over a cupboard as it almost falls on her, but for Usui stopping it and Yukimura shielding her from the falling contents. Finally, the older brother scolds his younger sister for pushing her role playing too far. She realizes her mistake and acknowledges Yukimura as her older brother.

Aoi, in his get-up, is harrassed by a group of thugs. He is rescued by Kanou and Yukimura who don’t recognize him. Showing their skills in protection, Aoi recruits them and the three idiots to film a promotional video.

Aug. 19, 2010 Episode 21: Is Shintani Hinata Usui’s Rival?

The sports clubs are forced to clean up their club rooms, as a result of the stench drifting from it. They refuse, but relent when Yukimura promises to feed them after their clean up. In the midst of chaos, Usui finally shows up to school after his hospitalization.

“Long time no see,” he says to Misaki, who immediately blushes at the sight of him. Yukimura wonders what they should make to feed the boys. Onigiri? What does Usui like?

“Porridge,” he replies without skipping a beat. Misaki turns beet red.

Just to change subjects, Misaki notes that Kanou is getting closer to Yukimura. They are. But are Misaki and Usui moving forward? He asks if she is officially Usui’s girlfriend yet. If not, why did she make him porridge and care for him while he was sick? She denies it, telling him she will never fall for a pervert like him, meanwhile she is flushed from the suggestion.

Kanou then sees Usui at his locker, pulling out more love letters. He asks Kanou to go in his stead to reject the girls. To which he replies, “If this is such a problem, date the Kaichou already!”

“It’s a bother to get serious on things like that,” Usui replies.

Come again? Kanou later realizes that for Usui, dating and caring deeply for someone are two separate and different things.

During the night, Misaki practices at home to make REAL rice balls, circular instead of triangular, but keeps thinking of Usui’s porridge. In the morning, Kanou helps out the Student Council with the preparation of the onigiri. He asks Yukimura what is going on with Usui and Misaki.

“They are the golden combi.” They are good at sports, studies, and just about everything (except cooking in Misaki’s case). Just then, the food preparation is completed. Only Misaki has round balls. Kanou tries it and realizes it is crunchy.

Usui watches the boys clean up the club rooms, and spots the new boy, Hinata Shintani, in school eating grass. Weirdo.

As soon as the task is completed, they run into the home-ed class for their promised meal. They unknowingly bad-mouths Misaki’s efforts.”You got some strange ones here.” “Just throw it out.” And it hits the new kid, Hinata Shintani, and takes him out in the process. Sadden, she returns to the econ room after chasing down the boys to give them a piece of her mind, and realize that Yukimura and the rest have cleaned up the place for her. They have also left her hardened rice balls behind. She takes a much needed nap.

Usui goes into the home-ed room, sees her sleeping and tries her inedible rice balls as it almost breaks his teeth. Her skills are truly unbeatable. But he embraces her and extols her efforts. When she awakens, all the rice balls are gone. Now that is love, sacrificing one’s teeth.

A watching Kanou is puzzled by the two who don’t want admit their feelings for each other and mover forward in their relationship.

The new transfer student, Hinata, begins to exasperate Misaki with his childishness and avarice. He even tries to eat in class, but Misaki stops him and he begins to cry. However, the boys seem to take to Hinata for his aptitude in finding food. Even as she is showing him around the school grounds, he is still eating, until in frustration, she confiscate his food. It is then that she catches Usui staring at her. When they finally bump into each other, he comments that she is spending too much time on the newbie. “I’m being neglected.” Just as she caught Usui watching her, he saw her looking at him too. Try denying that Misaki.

Just as things are getting a little too hot for the Golden Combi, the girls look for Misaki as the new boy has gotten himself into a fine mess. Turns out, it was nothing. He was just rousing the boys, who begin to love the fact that he has dog-like senses. He tells them he once was a fat boy, and almost ate up him grandfather’s farm. He was told to leave, but in truth, he has returned to find his first love. When she rescued him from a tree, he had promised her, “I’ll follow Misaki-chan forever.”

You-kun? Misaki begins to get a headache. Misaki realizes that he is her once chubby childhood friend, You-kun. Usui overhears this. Hinata climbs up on a tree to look for her, as everyone goes into a mild panic. He refuses to descend with gentle prodding, until Misaki swears she will confiscate his food. At that, he slips. Upon calling his nickname, You-kun, Hinata realizes who she is, and lands on his feet like a circus monkey. “Misaki-chan!” he coos while hugging her. “I’ve missed you so much!”

Oops. Is Hinata going to be a threat to Usui?

Aug. 26, 2010 Episode 22: Outdoor School Tag Game

Field trip! The underclassmen of Seika High are tricked by their seniors into thinking it is a pleasure trip. Instead, it is five tortuous and grueling days of Enlightenment at a Buddhist temple; that’s training, cleaning, meditating with very little food, very little sleep and plenty of hard labor.

Misaki is harrassed by the girls who want to know of her relationship with Hinata. On top of that, she has to prevent Hinata and Usui from killing each other while vying for her attention. Although, Hinata does confess that Usui is so cool, if he were a girl, he would fall for Usui too. Rock hard body, charming good looks, who wouldn’t?!

On the first night, Hinata unknowingly swallows his food, thinking there would be seconds. Instead, he’s punished for his greed by sweeping the floors in the middle of the night. Misaki checks on him, only to find him in the store room rummaging for food. When the monk comes looking, they hide, but unfortunately for Misaki, she is locked in together with Hinata in the room. As Hinata trembles at the prospect of two out of control teenagers being locked up together, Misaki can only smile, as she doesn’t see him as a man. He is, after all, just a childhood friend. Usui suddenly bursts into the store room, and hauls her out, as HER man.

Two days later, they boys are totally drained. Usui and Hinata start to fight, a showdown between two men. In this case, one man one insignificant boy. Hinata asks Usui if he loves Misaki, or better yet, if they are both dating each other. “If we were, we won’t be doing this,” he replies.

On the fourth day of the trip during a heavy downpour, the students are strong-armed into hiking to a nearby campsite. The boys begin to lose their sanity and start to lust after the girls. The chaperoning teachers separate the boys from the girls’ cabins at night by barricading the bridges. However, the river overflows due to the heavy rain and unhinges the barricade. The boys clamber over to get to the girls.

Misaki springs into action, together with Hinata (who followed the rest of the boys there thinking it’s a game of tag), to drive back the lascivious boys. Usui finally comes to her aid, and the moment he arrives, the boys run away, too scared of him. Hinata is very surprised by this, to which Misaki explains that Usui is not only well-liked, but very much respected by the boys. Hinata can only agree that Usui is an awesome man. After the harrowing incident, Usui finds a chance to confront Misaki about Hinata. “Is he anything special to you?” he asks while leaning against her on a tree.

She explains that Hinata is only a childhood friend. Nothing more.

She only has eyes for Usui. All he has to do is prove to her that her heart is already his. With his weight lifted, he faints atop her from his hunger.

Meanwhile, the boys find out that the famished Hinata had ravaged their meat for the night’s barbecue. Someone’s life will be short-lived.

Sept. 2, 2010 Episode 23: Sweets Feast at Maid Latte

Erika accidentally promises a customer a date if he wins the Sweets Eating contest at the Café. Employees are forbidden to date customers. To help Erika with her predicament, Misaka joins in disguise, to win the contest instead. But trouble follows Misaki like moth to a flame.

Turns out, the promised customer is none other than Hinata. And the only reason he participated is because he heard about the FREE sweets eating contest.

Days later, dressed as “Mr. Bisanki,” Misaki enters the contest at the Café only to realize that it was Hinata that Erika promised her time to. Usui is not fooled by Misaki’s disguise. As the dessert eating contest progresses, the boys slowly drop out one by one, unable to withstand the amount of sugar in their blood. Only Misaki and Hinata are left, but even she cannot take the saccharine overload anymore. Hinata wins the contest and gets to choose a maid of his choice to serve and take a picture with him. Misaki’s name was never withdrawn from that Maid list. Hinata immediately pounces on the opportunity to have a Misa-chan serve him, not knowing it is his Misaki.

After the contest, Misaki makes a quick exit and hides in the park while recovering from her sugary death. Usui tracks her down and offers his lap for her to lie on. She takes up the offer, albeit her usual fuss, but hides under the covers of her coat while lying on his lap. She realizes that Usui sees through everything she does. There is no hiding from him. He kisses her on her head, with the coat covering her.

The girls hatch a plan to keep Misaki’s secret, by dressing her up with a big mask over her head. Before that, she is to accompany Hinata to the Café as a guest and excuse herself later. Of course, on the day of, Usui joins them. Hinata reveals that he has a part time job after Misaki remembers him as a slothful and lying child. He works hard to change for the better for her. To shift the spotlight off of her, Misaki changes the subject back to Hinata’s job. He assumes that Misaki too has a part-time job and asks about it. She is at a lost and looks to Usui to lie for her, or not. Misaki excuses herself, and Usui realizes that she does not want to lie to this boy. This is one friend who she can’t bear to lie to. Hinata tells Usui that after losing his parents in an accident, Misaki was the one who made him face his feelings. He has liked her ever since.

“So this is a declaration of war?” Usui remarks.

Soon, Misaki reveals herself as a maid at the Café, while serving Hinata. Hinata becomes overly excited, to the point of spilling her secret. He’s so shocked that he screams and man-handles Misaki. However, Usui comes to her rescue disguised as a waiter and pulls her away. Before he leaves, Usui warns Hinata never to touch Misaki again. Usui and Misaki head out to the back. She professes to him that she really didn’t want to lie to a childhood friend.

“Really, Ayuzawa. You’re horrible!”

Hinata runs to the back and catches up with them. He grabs her again as an angry Usui corners him.

“I told you before,” Usui snarls while releasing Misaki from his grasp, “If you ever touch my Misaki again, I will tear you apart!”

So begins the fight between the Doberman and the Poodle.

Sept. 9, 2010 Episode 24: Latte Magic Mellow Mellow Rin ♥

The Hinata-Usui rivalry is getting out of hand. Hinata goes to the Student Council room asking Misaki to come out and play with him. Angered, she tells him he can’t simply waltz into the room and disrupt their meetings. So why is Usui allowed to hang out there, since he’s not part of the council? They begin to fight and Misaki is forced to throw the incorrigible boys out of the Student Council room.

At the Café, management announces they are having a Magic Witch event, and Misaki has to brush up on the terminology.

Hinata, returning from his petrol attendant job, tries to look for the cherry tree that he first met Misaki. Instead, he finds rolling persimmons falling his way. He picks one up to eat, only to discover it is from Misaki’s mom. He helps her carry her wares home and has a tiny reunion with his old playmate Suzuna. However, Misaki has no time for him. She has to cram for her Witches event the next day, with the anime DVDs loaned to her by the other maids.

Usui, who has been avoiding the Maid Café, finally visits it. He has been bothered by Hinata’s appearance at the Café. Now that he’s here, (together with the drooling and swooning three idiots), things are “back to normal.” In fact, he even teaches one of the maids how to make a better parfait, while telling her that Misaki calls him the perverted alien. But when Hinata arrives, the mood at the Café changes.

Misaki serves the 3 idiots a “spell” that stops them from lying, a really bad concoction that sends them packing to the toilet – at least one of them. Hinata then requests for a drink that allows him to beat his rival. But Usui tells him, he should win base on his own abilities. With that, he leaves, not wanting to cause Misaki any (more) trouble and uneasiness. Hinata then asks for a seeking spell, to find the cherry tree they first met.

After her shift, Aoi, who is not allowed to serve the customers with his getup, confronts her about her relationship with Usui. What is Usui to her? Friends? Rivals? Misaki, answers that what she thought of him before has now changed.

Alright then, “What is he to you NOW?”

Unable to answer, she takes the trash out. There, Usui awaits her. Shocked to find him there, she talks about the cold weather. He should put on a coat. In her attempt to diffuse the attention, she manages to make it look like she cares for him. He smiles as she blushes. He has given her her space. He had overheard the conversation with Aoi. Now’s the time she answers him truthfully.

“What am I to you now?”

In embarrassment, she punches him, but he blocks it, showing his feelings instead. He embraces her and chants the same “truth” spell she cast on the 3 Idiots to prevent them from lying.

“You’re not even a magician,” she whispers. “You can’t cast a spell.” But is silently enjoying being in his arms.

Elsewhere, Hinata finally finds the cherry tree and reflects of his childhood with Misaki.

Sept. 16, 2010 Episode 25: Hinata, Misaki & Usui

Under the cherry tree, Hinata begins to reminisce his time with his grandparents. Even though he was surprisingly popular with the girls in his old middle school, his heart belonged to Misaki.

Elsewhere in school, Sakura invites Misaki and Shizuko to attend Yumemishi’s concert in conjunction with Yumesaki’s High School Culture Festival. Sakura wants Misaki and Shizuko’s approval on the new Kuuga. He has purportedly changed for the better after he was hospitalized for an injury and she tended to him. Usui, hearing this, invites himself to join the girls.

After school, Misaki heads off to the Café for its Fortune Telling Day, with Erika (the troublemaker) as the fortune teller. The 3 idiots give it a test run, ending with them being told that their relationship with Misaki is like a gray day, something that will never happen. Hinata immediately joins in. His is seen as “a deflated paper balloon,” worse than the earlier cloudy prediction. All eyes are on Usui now as his fortune with Misaki is read. Erika tells him that their relationship is “incompatible like fire and water unless he tries harder.”

Disheartened, the boys leave.

But Usui awaits for Misaki’s shift to end to walk her home. He voices his worries about their said “incompatibility.”

“You can’t take the fortune too seriously,” Misaki says.

But he rambles on, and finally says that maybe they can’t be together.

“You’re leaving me because of this?!”  :O

Gasp!

Usui gets it. Hinata hears it.

Misaki realizes what she just said. Too late.

To make up for lost time the day before, Hinata tries to help Misaki clean the school entrance the next day, sullied by the sports club. His help is naught, when he doesn’t plug a hose in properly. It comes loose and water overflows everywhere, including drenching the klutz and Misaki. Of course Usui happens to walk by and tells her she better change. He quickly takes off his shirt to cover the wet and revealing Misaki, even though she insists she has a camisole underneath.

Seeing this, Hinata knows he is no match against the chivalrous, charming and complete Usui. Misaki and Usui leaves, but not before he lets out a bark, thereby laying claim to what is his. Even though Hinata knew this would be the outcome, it still hurts.

Days later at the Yumesaki Festival, the friends are amazed by the scale of the festival and the preparation that went into it. Yumemishi finally, arrives as the crowd push to get closer to them, much to Misaki’s disgust. Sakura falls, but is saved by Kuuga who pulls her with them, which Misaki sees. However, Misaki and Usui quickly get separated from Sakura and Shizuko by the crowd. Of course, Sakura refuses to budge from her sweet spot in front of the stage. And just like that, Misaki and Usui accidentally have their first date, while enjoying the festival.

Sept. 23, 2010 Episode 26: That’s so Unfair Ayuzawa…Usui You Idiot!

Still worrying about Sakura, Usui manages to convince Misaki to enjoy herself for a change. Misaki pushes her way out of the stiffling crowd but Usui manages to be showered with food and gifts as he leaves his throng of admirers behind. When he finds her, he feeds her his dango, which she comments is “sweet” after taking a bite from him. This feels so much like a …

“Date,” Usui completes her thoughts aloud.

He plops his ill-gotten cat ears on her as it occurs to him that they are both thinking the same thing. They end up walking into a contest called “Love Trial.” The only rule to the game is to never let the partner’s hand go while clearing all the challenges. The prize is a premium ticket to a post-festival event. As Misaki grumbles about the participation fee of 500¥, Usui puts on the “participation verification item” in the form of a heart-shaped necklace on her nestled on her chest. It’s not a waste if she gets a memento from it. Both have a whale of a time, even though neither openly say it. After successfully completing many arduous challenges: #1 eating ramen in 10 minutes with one person eating, the other feeding, #2 card game, #3 table tennis and #4 balloon quiz, they win over the crowd and the prized ticket.

At the concert stand, Sakura and Shizuko waits for more than 2 hours before Yumemishi finally gets on stage. Watching Kuuga take the stage, Sakura realizes is in love with him. The band performs three insert songs (performed by Nojima Kenji): “Natsukoi Monogatari,” “Yume no Hana,” and “Akane.”

Hearing the concert starting, Misaki and Usui are almost separated again by the rushing crowd. He teases her when he sees that she may have wanted to hold his hand again, as they were during the competition.

The concert finally ends and Misaki is told to meet up with Kuuga. Instead, she bumps into a him in disguise at the bathroom. She warns him not to use Sakura, but realizes that he is truly serious about Sakura, and even has her believing it too (even though she still has a tinge of mistrust in him). Sakura not only nursed him back to health, but she’s the only one who sees him for who he is. Then again, Misaki should worry about her own boyfriend instead of other’s. When she tells him Usui is not her boyfriend, Kuuga laughs. The poor man is still waiting for her and taking the punches?

Not wanting the day to end after the fest, Usui and Misaki decide to use their ticket. Turns out, it’s a special cosplay service as a one day Romeo and Juliet. They enter a classroom to watch the fireworks. With Kuuga’s words haunting her, Misaki begins to feel guilty for stringing Usui along. She confesses that she is hopelessly confused by him. What’s more, after the contest, she has been wanting to hold his hands. Although she doesn’t directly confess her feelings, it throws Usui off guard.

“Are you suppressing yourself?”

“You are really cruel, Ayazawa,” he replies. “Do you really want me to answer that?” he asks while inching closer to her. He corners her and asks if she cares for him. She’s always lying, blushing and nervous around him. He knows. He sees it. Is she is also denying herself from him?

Unable to answer, he lets her off the hook. Just as he is about to leave the room, she grabs his hand and openly admits that she was denying herself (too).

He finally kisses her in the empty classroom, as the fireworks go off.

“I love you, Ayuzawa.”

“I hate you,” she replies, not entirely honest. “Usui, you idiot!”

They leave, finally, with their hands adjoined.

Manga

Usui soon reveals his identity as an illegitimate child of an heiress to Misaki. His mother, whose maiden name is Usui, had an affair with a Japanese man, but died during child-birth. To hide this sordid affair, his English grandfather sent him to his Japanese grandmother’s family. He was then adopted by his mother’s cousin in Japan, and was educated through private tutoring. Bored with this life, he enrolled in a “normal” high school, where his family rented him a high-rise apartment in the city while he attended school. It is here, that his popularity grew with the girls, but he systematically turned them all down, until Misaki came along.

His older British half-brother is Gerard Walker (30 years old), a successful businessman, but is as imperfect as Usui is perfect. Even though they look alike, their similarities end there. Their personalities are like day and night. Gerard even has his bodyguard, Cedric Morris, spy on Usui. Cedric, Ceddy as known to Gerard, harbors a hatred for Misaki and even warns her to leave the Usui/Walker family alone if she knows what’s good for her. He thinks that Misaki of not of a certain societal status to be seen with him. On one occasion, Misaki almost confesses her true feelings to Usui, but on realizing that Cedric may overhear this and report back to his master, Usui kisses her instead. He tells her to “wait for the right time,” so as not to share her confession with wandering ears and loose lips.

Another thorn on Usui’s side is Igarashi Tora, Miyabigaoka High School’s Student Council President. He has some ties with the Walker family, and uses it to his advantage. To this end, he sends Miyazono Maria, a young, attractive and buxom English teacher to infiltrate into Seika High to force Usui to join Miyabigaoka. (Usui was once a student of Maria’s mother.) Misaki, even though pressuming Maria as her rival for Usui’a affection, becomes protective of her because she attracts unwanted attention. Eventually, Maria, confesses her love to Misaki, even though she has a fiance.

Usui and Misaki’s love trial pushes on as Usui is forced to enroll into Miyabigaoka High for his third year, thus separating the two. As Misaki sorts out her feelings for Usui on a school field trip to Kyoto, she finally picks up her courage to “announce” to the school that they are both dating. On his first day, the “elite” of Miyabigaoka gather around Usui to “befriend” him as part of Tora’s orders. The group consists of the Umekuoji siblings: Kaon and older brother Tomu, and their childhood friend, Tomikouji Ichitarou. Kaon even lies to Misaki about being Usui’s fiancee, but Misaki turns this attack to favor her by listing all of Usui’s negative traits. Even so, Misaki saves the day by saying that no matter his faults, he is hers and hers alone. With that, Kaon hears a challenge and brings her entourage to visit Misaki at the Maid Café after school. But, Usui is there to save the day by dressing up and going in to work too.

As the school year begins, Suzuna, Misaki’s younger sister enrolls into Seika High as a freshman. Even though she becomes an instantaneous hit with the boys of the school, they keep their distance and guard up knowing that she’s the younger sibling of the demon president.

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