[Arabesque]

Originally Posted by Dr. Casey

Nah, this debate's a great read. I'm all for having it keep up.

Indeed, the last pages were really great to read. I could even say it is as much fun a the manga ^_^

Originally Posted by strmclr

I read somewhere that Hata had the appearance of Athena planned since the beginning of the manga.
{link}
The link above is from the first chapter of the manga. Do you notice Athena's castle at the background?

In danger of repeating myself:

Originally Posted by Arabesque

It could just be me, but all I see is the silhouette of the Royal Palace. That doesn't mean he planned to insert them into the story later on. He could've wanted to throw it in as trivia.

So yeah, that doesn't prove that Athena joining the cast was planned from the beginning, it is just the Royal Palace put there as way for Hata to insert some interesting trivia in the manga.

EDIT:

Sometimes it feels to me that being around Hayate only causes her discomfort and inner turmoil

I see it as her getting worried that she might end up doing something that might make him hate her (lack of confidence), as we do see her being happy when ever things between her and Hayate go well. Also, you can also apply the same thinking to how Athena thinks at times (i.e. she at times worries that being around Hayate causes him misfortune).