Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You

At forty-five, office worker Sasaki is worn down by long days and a job that gives him little reason to look forward to tomorrow. His one reliable comfort is stopping at a nearby supermarket, buying cigarettes, and seeing the warm smile of cashier Yamada. After an especially exhausting shift, he arrives to find Yamada gone and nowhere nearby to smoke. A striking woman with piercings and a sharper attitude calls to him from behind the store and offers him a place beside her. She introduces herself as Tayama, teases him without mercy, and soon becomes his regular smoking companion. Sasaki believes he has met someone entirely new. He does not realize that Tayama and the gentle cashier he admires are the same woman. Their brief nighttime breaks slowly turn into a bond built on conversation, misunderstandings, and the relief of being seen after a difficult day.