Episode 5

CRUNCH TIME is the fifth episode of the Buddy Daddies anime series.

Synopsis
The family's financial situation is in shambles due to costs like Miri's clothes and preschool preparations. When Kazuki goes to Kyutaro to resume his work, he is only given the instructions to check the backgrounds of his targets and perform preliminary investigations at crime scenes in order to regain his instincts as a hit man. The daycare center Miri attends then closes for the day. As part of her homework, Miri is required to conduct research on her father's career and present her findings in front of the class. Exhausted from working all night long and babysitting, Rei takes his eyes off Miri as she manages to slip out of the house and gets lost.

Introduction
While Rei and Miri are playing an unnamed console game, Kazuki is worrying about how they recently broke their bank account by purchasing items for Miri at Daycare. As a result, they are currently bankrupt and unable to purchase new games for Rei or pudding for Miri as a treat because Kyutaro has not given them any work since the recent failed mission that was assigned to them. They were forced to approach Kyutaro and ask for work because desperate times call for desperate measures. Kazuki approaches Kyutaro as they arrive at the Yadorigi café and begs for a job. On the other hand, Kyutaro gave him some information about documents to use for background-checking targets and some job-related location scouting. He suggested that Kazuki should start with small jobs so that they could return to their regular line of work for at least a week. Despite having second thoughts about it, Kazuki simply accepted it and said they would carry it out anyhow.

Plot
They learn that Miri needs to stay at home for a number of days after receiving a call from Anna Hanyu of Aozora Daycare informing them that a virus has spread. She is expected to complete an assignment at home, which calls for her to learn about her parents' jobs. Given the nature of their jobs, Kazuki and Rei are reluctant to tell her anything, but she persists in asking.

After attempting to work at night and took care for Miri during the day for three days straight, Kazuki and Rei find themselves exhausted. When Kazuki had to leave for work, Rei is left behind at home to watch Miri but is too exhausted to get out of his tub. In order to find out what Kazuki does for a living, Miri takes advantage of this opening to leave the apartment without being seen and followed Kazuki. Rei wakes up to find Kazuki has already left at the same time Miri is also gone. While following Kazuki all the way, she found a dog and stops to pet it, causing her to lose track of him.

Having confirmed that Miri is missing, Kazuki and Rei embark on a citywide search for her. In the meantime, she is in front of Kutaro's cafe when he notices her running into Ogino and brings her inside. Kazuki starts to fear the worst things to happen to Miri. Not until he and Rei arrive at Kyutaro's cafe and discover her seated at the counter. In her excitement after seeing the two of them, Miri calls them "Papa," which perplexes Kyutaro and causes him to inquire about how they are doing with the assignments he gave them. When it becomes evident they are having trouble keeping up with the workload, he offers to watch Miri.

Kazuki and Rei drop Miri off at Kyutaro's cafe after admonishing her not to refer to them as "Papa" in his presence or discuss them in any way. While Kyutaro prepares a drink for Miri, they leave for a job. She inquires as to what Kazuki and Rei do for a living, and he responds that they have special jobs. He then continues to lie, claiming that Rei is an oil baron and that Kazuki is a terrible stand-up comedian who is ashamed to tell anyone. When Kyutaro inquires if there isn't somewhere else she'd prefer to go or if other family members are looking for her, she inadvertently calling Kazuki and Rei "Papa" while drawing a picture of their jobs, Miri quickly tries to make up for her error. She responds that she enjoys being with Kazuki and Rei and wants to stay with them forever.

After finishing their work, Kazuki and Rei goes back to the cafe to pick up Miri. However, Kyutaro doesn't appear to understand what she means when Kazuki inquires if she said anything strange. When Miri calls them Papa while she is sleeping, Kazuki quickly tries to explain that they were going to eventually take Miri back to her family. But Kyutaro admits that he was fully informed the entire time. He claimed he had planned to do something, but after spending time with Miri, he can see why they decided to take her in. Of course, he cautions that there could be negative effects, particularly if they betray the organization. He inquires as to whether they are ready for the potential consequences of a position like theirs and advises them not to look back.