And IIRC, Yukiji is Hina’s sister by blood – their parents are their STEP-parents, since their original parents.. well, Hata-sensei discusses it in the profile for Hina in Vol 2 (her parents abandoned her and Yukiji, leaving them with a huge debt, which Yukiji eventually got paid off), which is why those two are close even if they act completely different… and why she understands Hayate’s position all too well, plus has a thing about defending the weak and protecting the ’side of good’ from those who would take advantage of it.

Hina and Nishizawa haven’t had much time together… since the Vol 7 meeting was mixed in with the Nishizawa’s brother date with Nagi, which subsequently got replaced by that encounter (Ep 37).

Mentar: Considering that Ep 40 was manga chapter 2…. I think that it’s too late to talk about screwed-up timelines. But it’d work much better ift hey went that way, even if Nagi and Nishizawa have begun to form a similar bond.

I can’t wait till Izumi’s cousin shows up in the show, if at all – she does show up in the OP there.

As it stands, it seems fitting to put them together in the same screen of the ED as they are probably the two most well adjusted girls in the cast (most of the other girls are way too rich and eccentric).

I think that’s why I like them the best. They’re normal (by Hayate no Gotoku standards), which for me, makes them a lot more lovable. Like Mentar said, being both vulnerable and sensitive go a long way in a character. As much as people root for superheroes and extremities, often times it’s the more realistic characters that become endearing in the long run–probably we can relate more to them. In a similar vein, it’s also why I have an affinity towards Sakuya as well. She’s wealthy and eccentric, but out of all the other ojou-sama’s, she’s the most down-to-earth.