A Story About Smoking at the Back of the Supermarket

Sasaki was just another exhausted salaryman, trudging through another draining workday. The only thing keeping him going was the thought of seeing Yamada, the ever-smiling clerk at his usual convenience store. But one evening, stuck in an endless company meeting, he arrived too late—Yamada had already left for the day. Disappointed, Sasaki turned to go when he spotted something unexpected: a young woman with piercings, casually smoking out back behind the store.