Hayate the Combat Butler 1 features story and art by Kenjiro Hata.

Hayate Ayasaki is a 16-year-old boy who has been supporting himself since childhood by working a variety of part-time jobs. His parents, on the other hand, are degenerate gamblers who don't work at all and generate 150 million yen in debt. To pay this debt, Hayate's parents sell him as an organ donor to the yakuza - an idea Hayate isn't too crazy about, so he decides to kidnap someone and ransom them for 150 million yen.

The girl he attempts to kidnap, though, misinterprets Hayate's intentions, and thinks that he is confessing his love for her. The girl, Nagi Sanzenin, turns out to be the only daughter of a super wealthy family. Nagi buys Hayate from the yakuza and to pay her back, Hayate agrees to be her butler. And, at his current salary, it will take him 40 years to pay Nagi back!