Hayate Ayasaki is one of the best delivery boys in Japan, but he is fired upon revealing that he is sixteen years old, as such is under the legal working age. His troubles are further enhanced when he realizes that his parents, whom he had financed since he was eight years old, have run up a huge gambling debt. When he tells them that he no longer has a job, they decide to sell him to the Yakuza, in an effort to escape from his fate, he decides to run away and kidnap a girl for money, though when the girl mistakenly believes he's professing his love to her, he decides to abandon his plan. All hope seems lost for him, but when he learns that the girl is in need of a butler, he accepts the job and must now serve as her protector, all the while performing typical duties as a butler.