Sasaki is forty-five, single, and running on fumes. Every night after overtime, he drags himself to Supermarket S for a half-price bento, a pack of Mevius, and one small reason to keep going: Yamada-san, the sweet, smiling part-timer at register two. She's polite, professional, and utterly out of his league—which doesn't stop him from lining up at her lane every single day like a lovesick idiot.
Then, one night behind the store, he discovers the truth.
The Yamada who clocks out is nothing like
Smoking Love Behind Supermarket S - The Storm of Inspections and the Spilled Truth
The break room at Genki Trading's suburban branch.
An old fluorescent light cast a pale white glow. On the wall hung a faded notice: "Please cooperate with energy conservation." Beneath it, at the sink, Sasaki was washing his mug.
(Today's the inspection day.)
The thought wouldn't leave the corner of his mind.
"Hey, Sasaki."
A voice came from behind. Before he could turn, Suzuki was already standing beside him. Black hair parted seven-to-three—the quintessential salesman's cut. His friendly brown eyes narrowed with mischief. The wedding ring on his left hand caught the fluorescent light.
"Ah, Suzuki."
Sasaki set his mug in the drying rack.
"What's with you, spacing out again? Bet you were thinking about that supermarket clerk, weren't you."
Suzuki grinned.
"W-what makes you say that?"
Sasaki's voice nearly cracked.
"You've been talking about that supermarket nonstop lately. The other day it was some new rice cracker product, then the cashier changed—you went on about it the whole time at the last drinking party too."
Suzuki gave Sasaki's shoulder a light pat.
"Don't tell me you've fallen for the clerk."
Heat crept up Sasaki's face.
"N-no! It's not like that! It's just—that store's convenient to stop by after work, that's all..."
"Oh, is that so."
Suzuki's grin deepened.
"It's written all over your face. You're way too easy to read."
Suzuki's voice carried to every corner of the break room. A few coworkers glanced at Sasaki. One of them chuckled.
(Stop it...)
Sasaki wanted nothing more than to flee.
But he looked Suzuki straight in the eye.
And in the depths of those eyes, he noticed just a flicker of genuine concern.
(This guy's always like this.)
(He teases, but he really does worry about me.)
Something warm and ticklish stirred in Sasaki's chest.
"...Well, whatever. Just don't get in too deep. You've always had a tendency to take things too seriously."
With that, Suzuki left the break room.
Sasaki was left alone.
The sound of water echoed quietly.
(Too seriously, huh.)
Sasaki looked at his own hands.
(Can I really protect Tayama-san?)
Outside the break room window, the sky was overcast.
The heavy air that comes before rain.
Sasaki let out a deep breath.
___
That evening.
Sasaki left the Genki Trading suburban branch.
The sky was darker than it had been that morning. The rain hadn't started yet. The wind was a little cold.
His feet carried him naturally toward the Fresh Mart Kano store.
(Gotou-san told me not to come.)
(But I want to protect Tayama-san.)
(Even if I have to lie, I'll protect her.)
He gently traced the portable ashtray in his pocket with his fingertips.
The same model he'd given Tayama—his own portable ashtray.
Its hard texture quietly supported his resolve.
___
Fresh Mart Kano.
When he passed through the automatic doors, the air inside felt different.
A tense, prickling, peculiar tension.
(The inspectors are here.)
Sasaki picked up a basket.
He walked slowly through the store.
There were two inspectors.
One was a man in his forties in a suit, holding a clipboard.
The other was a young woman, also in a suit, standing behind him and surveying the store.
(So those are the head office inspectors.)
Sasaki watched from a slight distance.
The male inspector stopped in front of the registers.
"We will now begin the customer service evaluation."
The man's voice rang out strangely loud in the store.
Yamada was at register two.
Her black hair pulled back in a single bundle, her green apron neatly worn. The name tag on her chest read "Yamada."
"Welcome!"
Yamada's voice rang out lightly through the store.
She smiled brightly at a white-haired male customer.
That smile was, as always, perfect.
"Do you have a point card?"
"Ah, yes."
Yamada took the card and scanned it quickly.
"Thank you. Today, these items are on special."
She pointed to a flyer beside the register.
The male inspector wrote something on his clipboard.
(Amazing. Flawless.)
Sasaki murmured inwardly.
(Yamada-san really is an incredible clerk.)
(That smile is manufactured, but it doesn't look manufactured at all.)
Sasaki felt a warmth spreading in his chest.
But that warmth quickly turned cold.
The male inspector turned toward Gotou.
"Store manager, I'd like to ask you something."
Gotou walked over from the back of the store, expressionless.
Short black bob. Narrow black eyes. A mole near her mouth. In her hand, a heated tobacco device.
"What is it?"
Gotou's voice was, as always, low and unreadable.
"The other day, head office received a report that someone who appeared to be an employee was smoking behind this store after closing. Who was that?"
The inspector's voice rang coldly through the store.
Something cold ran down Sasaki's spine.
(Here it comes.)
(It came after all.)
Sasaki looked at Yamada at register two.
He could clearly see the color draining from her face.
Yamada stopped her hands.
Her smile vanished.
(Yamada-san...)
Sasaki's heart pounded.
Gotou stared back at the inspector.
"I have not confirmed that."
Gotou's voice was unwavering.
"Not confirmed? The report clearly stated that a young female employee was smoking."
The inspector took a step closer to Gotou.
"Manager, hiding it is pointless. Employee smoking isn't just a breach of manners—it's a serious compliance issue."
The man's voice grew louder.
Customers in the store began glancing at Gotou and the others.
Yamada was biting her lip.
Her eyes glistened, on the verge of tears.
(No.)
(At this rate, Yamada-san will be cornered.)
Sasaki's body moved before his mind could catch up.
"U-um!"
Sasaki's voice rang through the store.
The inspector and Gotou both turned to look at him at once.
Yamada looked at him too.
Her eyes were wide with surprise.
"...And you are?"
The inspector eyed Sasaki suspiciously.
"U-um, it's me. I'm a regular customer—my name is Sasaki. The one who was smoking behind the store... that was me."
Sasaki's voice was trembling.
"I was the one smoking behind the store. I asked the employee to let me. So the employee didn't do anything wrong."
Sasaki said it all in one breath.
His heart felt like it would leap out of his mouth.
The inspector stared at Sasaki's face.
"...Is that true? The area behind the store is an employee-only smoking area. It's not a place where customers are allowed."
"I-I'm sorry. I really wanted a cigarette. This place has proper smoking separation and it's clean, so... I begged the employee to let me in. I'm truly sorry."
Sasaki bowed his head.
The inspector looked down at Sasaki for a while.
Then he wrote something on his clipboard.
"...Understood. This time, I'll just leave it as a record. However, if something like this happens again, it will affect the evaluation of the entire store."
With that, the man turned his back on Gotou.
"I'll continue the inspection."
The male and female inspectors walked toward the produce section.
Sasaki stood frozen in place.
(Is it... over?)
His legs were shaking.
His palms were slick with sweat.
"...You."
Gotou spoke quietly to Sasaki.
"Manager..."
"We'll talk later."
With just that, Gotou disappeared into the back of the store.
Sasaki looked at Yamada at register two.
Yamada was leaning on the register, head down.
Her shoulders were trembling slightly.
(Yamada-san...)
Sasaki tried to call out to her.
But no words came.
___
It was about an hour later that the inspectors left the store.
A sense of relief flowed through the store.
Sasaki finished his shopping and stepped outside.
The sky had gone completely dark.
It still hadn't rained.
Sasaki walked around to the back of the store.
The northwest corner of the parking lot.
Two ashtray stands and a single bench.
Beyond the fence, the lights of the residential neighborhood dotted the darkness.
Sasaki sat on the bench.
He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
Mevius Premium.
He put one in his mouth and lit it with a hundred-yen lighter.
"...Hah."
He drew the smoke into his lungs and exhaled slowly.
(I lied.)
(I lied to protect Yamada-san.)
(Was that the right thing to do?)
Sasaki watched the cigarette smoke drift away on the night wind.
Then.
He heard the back door of the store open.
Sasaki turned, and there stood Tayama.
Her hair down, small silver earrings on her ears.
A completely different figure from the Yamada who worked in the store.
Tayama sat down beside Sasaki without a word.
"...Can I have a cigarette?"
Tayama's voice was hoarse.
"Ah, sure, go ahead."
Sasaki held out the pack.
Tayama took one and lit it with her own lighter.
The sweet scent of Pianissimo Menthol dissolved into the night air.
Silence flowed between them.
Tayama drew the smoke in deeply.
Then slowly exhaled.
"...Why?"
Tayama murmured.
"Eh?"
"Why would you go that far for me?"
Tayama turned toward Sasaki.
Her eyes were serious.
"Sasaki-san, you're just a customer. And yet, why would you tell a lie like that to protect me?"
Tayama's voice was shaking.
"Why would you try to protect my smile, of all things?"
Tears welled in Tayama's eyes.
Sasaki looked straight into her eyes.
(I have to say it.)
(I have to say it properly, now.)
Sasaki pressed his cigarette into the ashtray.
"...I don't want to lose your smile."
Sasaki's voice was clearer than he'd expected.
"Yamada-san's perfect smile. And the real smile Tayama-san shows here. I don't want to lose either of them. That's why I told that lie."
Tayama's eyes widened.
"...My smile?"
Tayama's voice trembled faintly.
"Yeah. Your smile is what keeps me going. Because of that smile, I can work hard every day. That's what I think."
Sasaki felt embarrassed by his own words.
(What am I even saying?)
(A forty-five-year-old old man.)
(To a twenty-four-year-old girl.)
Sasaki looked down.
Tayama said nothing.
She just kept watching Sasaki's profile.
"...I'm going home."
Tayama stood up.
"Ah, okay..."
Sasaki raised his head.
Tayama had her back to him.
"Old man."
Tayama said without turning around.
"...Thank you."
Her voice sounded like she was crying.
Tayama walked away into the darkness of the night.
Sasaki sat on the bench, watching her back until it disappeared.
(Thank you, huh.)
Sasaki looked up at the sky.
Thick clouds hid the moon.
___
That night.
Tayama had come back to the smoking area alone.
She sat on the bench and lit a cigarette.
Pianissimo Menthol.
She drew the sweet smoke deep into her lungs.
"...Why am I crying?"
Tayama noticed tears running down her cheeks.
"Sasaki-san said my smile is what keeps him going."
Tayama exhaled.
"Was that a customer's words?"
"Or were they meant for me—for who I really am?"
Tayama took the portable ashtray from her pocket.
The portable ashtray Sasaki had given her.
A small silver box.
"I don't understand..."
Tayama's voice dissolved into the silence of the night.
The tears wouldn't stop.
___
A figure appeared at the entrance of the smoking area.
It was Gotou.
Expressionless, a heated tobacco device in her hand.
Gotou sat down beside Tayama without a word.
She switched on the heated tobacco and drew deeply.
Thin smoke drifted on the night wind.
"...Manager."
Tayama murmured.
"Did I cause trouble for you?"
Tayama's voice was muffled with tears.
Gotou glanced at Tayama.
"You didn't do anything wrong."
Gotou's voice was as expressionless as ever.
"But that regular customer's lie was a lie to protect you. That much, don't you forget."
With that, Gotou drew on her heated tobacco again.
Tayama repeated Gotou's words in her heart.
(That lie was a lie to protect me.)
(I know. I know that.)
(That's why it hurts even more.)
Tayama pressed her cigarette into the ashtray.
___
The next day.
Sasaki went to work at the Genki Trading suburban branch.
As he sat at his desk, the coworker beside him spoke up.
"Sasaki-san, I heard about yesterday."
"Eh? About ye
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