Episode 5

Episode 5 is the fourth episode of Haime! Sweet and Sour Boys. It was released November 24th, 2023.
(SPOILERS FOR H!SSB BELOW!)
== Synopsis ==
Kasaki gets rushed to the hospital after collapsing at work, but following recovery, spends time at a resort with Gasu and Tuzi. However, revelations occur.
== Full Plot ==
Tuzi enters Our Lady of Yume St. Nikki's Hospital/Vet's lobby, carrying an unconscious Kasaki bridal style. Baioreto, who's working the front desk, assesses the situation, and takes him to her sister, Vet-sama. She informs Vet-sama that he has "stab sites," and recognizing the possibility of poisoning, she gets to work treating him.
In the hall, Gasu frets over Kasaki's condition while Tuzi and Deli-chan sit with him. Deli-chan provides emotional support. Shortly after, Baioreto opens the door, and to the trio's relief, Kasaki is well, but still unconscious. Vet-sama explains that Megido poisoned him but she took care of it. Gasu and Tuzi express their gratitude for her quick work saving Kasaki's life. Gasu tells an unconscious Kasaki that when he recovers, he and Tuzi will take him somewhere special.
Kasaki then has a psychedelic dream, where he's presumably naked. A vision of a open-vested Gasu with let-down hair stands before him, and his pink shorts slip down, and rose petals fly out from where his crotch area should be, all while seductively saying Kasaki's name.
It turns out that Gasu's voice was actually Gasu trying to wake up Kasaki in real life. Kasaki notices that he sounds a little different, which Gasu attributes to Vet-sama having to repair his tonsils after Megido's poison "blew them up." Tuzi then explains that Iris's recipes are highly coveted by malicious groups, confirming Megido's motives. Gasu changes the topic, and reveals that his father got him vouchers for his family's resort, which leaves Kasaki in disbelief at how rich Gasu's family is.
At the resort, the trio check in, and Gasu and Tuzi settle down in a hot spring to close out summer. Tuzi's father Sydney gets in, and flirtatiously clicks his tongue at an enamored Gasu. Kasaki then arrives, claiming he's "ready to get wet." But he ends up running off in embarrassment after realizing that since everyone in a hot spring is naked, he would be able to see Gasu's private parts and vice versa. Tuzi runs after him to check on him.
In his hotel room, Kasaki lays on his bed, crying. Tuzi comforts him, leading to Kasaki tearfully admitting that he believes he's bisexual. Tuzi explains there's nothing to be ashamed of, and offers support. However, the heartwarming moment's cut short by Gasu making a weird noise from the adjacent room, with Tuzi appearing to believe he was hurt.
In front of a room, a woman who bizarrely resembles Peter Lorre apologizes to an offscreen individual, stating that she "didn't even know they were porking it in there." Tuzi gasps, and it's revealed that the addressee is Gasu, who is in bed with a very satisfied and lovestruck looking Sydney clinging to him, making it clear the two were caught post-coitus. Gasu, cigarette in hand, blatantly and awkwardly lies to Tuzi, claiming he doesn't know how he got in bed with Sydney. Tuzi screams.
== Major Developments ==
* Vet-sama is introduced, and is revealed to be Baioreto's sister.
* Tuzi confirms that Iris's recipes are coveted by villains, setting up for a possible future plotline.
* Gasu's family is established to be rich.
* Kasaki comes out as bisexual to Tuzi.
* It's revealed that Gasu and Sydney have a physical, potentially romantic relationship.
== References ==
* The hospital's name is a very awkward and shoehorned reference to the psychological adventure game Yume Nikki.
* Kasaki's dream is ostensibly an American Beauty parody, with the sitar music and rose petals referencing the famous scene where Lester hallucinates his daughter's friend Angela seductively dancing for him, and pulling her shirt open to reveal a stream of rose petals.
* Kasaki running off seems to be a reference to a similar scene in Blood Raining Night.
* The cleaning lady is explicitly based off Peter Lorre, from the face to the voice.
== Continuity ==
* Megido's revealed to have stabbed Kasaki with poison.
* Kasaki provides a reason for why he was naked in Megido's clutches, attributing it to being caught while skinny dipping.
== Trivia ==
* This is the first main episode to have been premiered rather than being uploaded normally. The Halloween special was the first overall.
* This was the last episode released in 2024.
* This episode capped off the "1st Season." The 2nd season would premiere in April of 2024.
* During the second-to-last scene, the series' entire art style changed drastically. The characters become far more proportional and the level of detail on them increases, and the shading becomes much cleaner and is more consistently present. The backgrounds also become more detailed, and the color palette becomes warmer and more naturalistic. This change in art style was proven not to be a bizarre error when the Season 2 intro and Episode 6 utilized the new style, confirming it as a deliberate change.