S01E06 – Lingering Scent Behind the Supermarket 🔐

Last Updated: THU Aug 14th, 2026 — NOTE: these guides have been written by Humans, not AIs. All images © of their original ANIME right holders, used with the FAIR USE in mind. Suggestions to: reactguides@gmail.com

This EPISODE adapts TWO MANGA chapters of VOL#1» Smokes #16 + Zero (16.5 or 17 in some places) and is equivalent to the last miniepisodes 11+12.

SPOILERs (HIDDEN by DEFAULT): To show them, just click to expand

PART I — The incoming Checkup

How do health checkups grade areas in Japan?

They assess health across various areas, with ratings ranging from A (no issues) to F (continue with medical treatment). And Sasaki scored nothing less than Bs—meaning: no cause for concern at the moment—on those tests last year.

SUZUKI has improved his diet thanks to his beloved Keiko, but those delicious and healthy bento boxes he devours with such appetite…will they make him gain weight?

But. . . last year his uric acid levels were a bit high (due to meat, seafood, and beer). His triglyceride levels may also indicate an increased cardiovascular and metabolic risk.

CUTE DETAIL » Keiko is so cute and lovely… she even puts some written encouraging message using edible black algae strips (nori). What’s not to love about a woman like that!?

Suzuki wants to live a long long life with his wife, and Sasaki…

Sasaki just wants to smoke with Tayama every day after work… will he have to stop doing it —at least for a while?

«A cool future is upon us, he predicts». More for him than for Suzuki hahaha.

Sasaki's age (45) is indicated on top, and he has to indicate he's a regular smoker…

FUN FACT: healthy shopping

These YABASU beers are the non-alcoholic version of the brand.

A bento of White fish —with less fat, but less omega-3 or certains vitamins too.

Also, some probiotic drinks to improve digestion and inmune system.

Sasaki, maybe you should have those regularly, not just for a few days!

Our redheaded cashier also pays attention…

Yamada has also noticed this sudden interest in eating healthier… what is this geezer dreading so much about the incoming checkup though?

All these previous scenes are ANIME-only .

The Smoke 16 on the manga really starts with the following conversation with Tayama —also greatly expanded on the anime.

OPENING Trivia:

Can you identify —in the old and newer opening— the SASAKI from 8 years ago , mentioned in this episodes? (Answers at the end of this guide)

PART II — Talking healthy

Tayama's look today is the one we already saw in episode 04…

Reducing nicotine is a feat in itself

Our blue-suited guy has really just cut one or two daily cigarettes.

But Yamada has to cut also on her Ramen broth ingestion —if she wants to get her flabby arms more firm… (see at the end of EPISODE 4)

Sasaki is below his ideal weight then?

Most likely: Sasaki is tall but slim, and Tayama just pinches him to emphasize how "bony" he can be. But if doctors tell you to gain weight, well, you're probably way below what your BMI recommends (Body Mass Index).

Not such a good idea: to gain weight and lose money

Tayama's advice: go to the deli section of the supermarket and eat a lot of gourmet healthy food to gain weight!

A stressed worker has lower probabilities to quit smoking then?

Smokers really have a hard time abstaining when under tension , so Sasaki's boss could truly be an aggravating factor to his addition.

Daijōbu! "everything will be all right".

We will count how many "punches" and "slaps" receives Sasaki in this episode (even the softer ones). The total might amaze you!

Musical Montage

Montage: Sasaki makes an extra effort to eat vegetables, use the coupon for non-alcoholic beer, and get to that checkup date as healthy as possible. But even so…

ALSO: SUZUKI, are you wondering the WHY behind that weight gain, really?

PART III — Reality check

Smoking is REALLY BAD for everyone's health. Just remember that this is fiction… because, in real life, Sasaki should be quitting smoking ASAP.

MANGA vs ANIME

GOTO has a point…

This girl needs to take a hard decision if she wants to keep Sasaki in her life somehow.

He is probably going to be so understanding that she shouldn't be so worried about confessing her "real identity" . But… she won't be anymore «Yamada the goddess» in his eyes, true.

«Why am I freaking out?»

The true self of Yamada is resurfacing now: probably due to her past and insecurities —which we will start observing on the second part of the episode. 😢

So Tayama, don't let him GO AWAY, chase him!!

Good girl: tonight on your "last smoke" you need to do something for him, right?

Fact: love can hit you as hard as Tayama does

This GIPHY animation has almost 3M views already!

This is one of the biggest GIF memes of the anime —from the moment it was featured on the mini-episodes …

MANGA vs ANIME

Sasaki just wants to "virtually smoke"

Holding his cigarette against his lips, maybe chewing it a bit, and getting the second-hand smoke from Tayama is going to be his farewell to this unhealthy habit … and to these nightly conversations with one of his favorite readheaded girls? 👩🏼🦰 = 👩🏼🦰

But what if…?

Do you think Sasaki would be able to stop smoking easier… if he knew Yamada/Tayama are the same person, and that she would be talking to him more as Yamada after this —without tobacco involved?

Confession time!?

Not quite yet…

WARNING: SPOILERS FROM THE MANGA— HAS YAMADA CONFESSED ALREADY ABOUT HER IDENTITY? ( click to reveal) Sort of: while dozing off in chapter 49 she tells Sasaki to stay oblivious until she is ready to tell him. Which she hopes he will not hear or understand.

So as of the latest chapter: NO, she hasn't revealed it to him directly . Has Sasaki figured it out…? That's another question for another time to answer.

A misdiagnosis!

The duality of emotions that overcome them both

Tayama/Yamada is, at the same time, so happy-angry! 😀😡

And Sasaki is so much embarrassed-relieved! 😳😌

I can keep smoking with you, huh?

Yes, Tayama will keep teasing you with all her might hahaha. No Yamada reveal (for now).

An indirect kiss?

Well, let's say it is —as we all want more intimacy between them, right? 😊

Not quite yet…

WARNING: SPOILERS FROM THE MANGA— WILL THEY KISS IN THE MANGA SOON ENOUGH? ( click to reveal) In short: it doesn't seem likely. As of chapter 63 the answer is still NO. Jinushi, could you make that happen for us, pretty please? 🙏

Did you know…

Yes, Sasaki has been "crying wolf", but everything will be all right now between those two —once they clear the air… or… the smoke?

MANGA vs ANIME

Strike counter

Including ALL blows, punches, pinches and slaps… Tayama has touched (softly or not) FOURTEEN TIMES Sasaki's body during this part of the episode.

She has truly been on “aggression mode”!! 👊🏼

END of the mini episode 11 and manga chapter 16.

Smoke 0 and mini-episode 12 start from here on.

MANGA FUN FACTS » Where can I read Smoke 0 in my favorite manga website?

In some (non-official) manga websites Smoke 0 corresponds to Smoke 16.5 or even Smoke 17. We haven't checked on all of them so if that's not the answer, well, just ask there or look elsewhere.

Only on the Manga - Last "aftersmoke"#16

The "After smokes" are brief 1-page scenes for each of the first 16 chapters of the manga. From Smoke/chapter 17 they never again appear as such, and are replaced by "bonus stories" longer, somewhat independent and not always related to any other chapter.

In the After Smoke 16, GOTO gets to know Sasaki has been misdiagnosed, and will keep on smoking with Yamada/Tayama. Much to the romantic delight of the Manager —who gets a real thrill from any development between those two…

PART IV — EIGHT YEARS AGO

Ono back in the day was a light angel too… she knows how to smile perfectly —it's only at her age, face muscles might not work as swiftly as those of Yamada.

KEEP IN MIND: The Super HQ will regularly held Smile Awards and other evaluations to find the best talent within their employee pool

Unlocking locations » The Super lockers 📍

This is the place where Yamada "transforms into" Tayama (and viceversa), using the benches and mirror to change clothes + fix her hair.

8 years ago…

The name of the store was "Superfresh Market" and all the corporate branding used green instead of red.

Was GOTO manager then?

NO, she came back from the HQ (after 7-8 years there) as a chief of staff —like Maezawa today— but NOT manager.

GOTO was like the "workplace mum" of Yamada then…

In many respects we'll learn how many things GOTO did for her, almost like a mother to our teen redheaded girl, who was a bit over 16 at the time.

Who was that customer that held a grudge against young employees like Yamada?

Apparently a man who held this complaint against the supermarkets in general. Noticing Yamada was insecure and prone to commit small errors, he raised his voice against their policies to hire these "untrained" students. (She probably was indeed an 16-year-old student at this point).

Phrases like «Did your superiors teach you nothing?!» showcase how he is really using this teen girl as indirect target of his grudge against maybe the upper echelons. Also he hates the idea of hiring part-time students. Might he be salty because the suffered himself because of that policy too, at some point in his work life…? Who knows, we don't get much more info about him.

The manager of the Store was this man then…

And GOTO was the next in line, yes. Sometime later she was in fact named Manager herself though —maybe even that same year.

Sasaki has had enough of that trash talking

And he also usually gets there when this noisy and impertinent client gets in line before him… oh dear!

WARNING: SPOILER FROM THE MANGA. DOES SASAKI REMEMBER THAT THIS EVER HAPPENED? DOES TAYAMA MENTION IT TO HIM SOMETIMES?( click to reveal) In Smoke 33 Tayama asks him if he did shop there 8 years ago, but he remembers that Super as a different place… maybe because they rebranded and re-decorated it, and because he did not go so often after all.

Also on Smoke 24 Tayama talks him about that man and how he was a factor in her smoking later —Yamada started smoking when she was 20 in fact.

Sasaki has a blurry memory of meeting a young red-haired cashier in the past. Both have times when they are very close to remember, like at the end of chapter 38 (volume 5) or the ending of Smoke 50 …

Also, this scene from eight years ago will be mentioned this very Season 01 on at least THREE important occasions: probably within Episodes 10+11+12.

How comes that Yamada does not clearly remember Sasaki from back then?

There are several factors to take into consideration:

• he did not wear his recognizable blue suit back then, only black pants with a rolled up wrinkled shirt and a poorly tied, loose tie. He did not wear glasses and his hair was all messy. His present appearance is way more tidy, to be honest.

• he probably had a younger voice: less raspy and more confident.

• he carried a shoulder bag instead of a portfolio.

Also did Yamada change so much in 8 years?

Yes, she is more smiling, adult, composed and professional —and fixes her hair much better now. As Yamada, she is sweet and angel-like. And her Tayama voice is slightly harsh, with her impressive clothing style… So: you can't easily associate that feeble part-time teen employee to either of them.

Poor young tender Yamada… she's only a rookie teen here!

Words that will resonate over time — pay attention to those!

«Then you will be fine. Keep doing something because you love it, and everything else you need will surely follow.»

That phrase will inspire them later, so don't forget where it came from.

Even that young Yamada has noticed something

Sasaki does overreact to very small things.

He is somewhat over-considerate sometimes, so he needs to tone down on how much he worries about other's reactions.

FUN FACT: the ashtray on the entrance of the old Super.

Soon after what happened 8 years ago, and due to unknown circumstances and complaints, the Super decided to get rid of that ashtray at the front of the shop.

That, in turn, caused Sasaki NOT to go back again —yes, after all, he went mostly because they had that smoking area. Which also explains why Yamada and him have no further memories of meeting again, back then.

The ashtray though, did not dissappear, but likely was moved to the back of the Super , where a newer version still exists today… and is used by our favorite couple of smokers!

Opening TRIVIA question: answered

You find references to the SASAKI of 8 years ago in these two brief scenes of the OLD and NEW opening!!!

» END of episode 6, miniepisode12, and manga chapter 0 (16.5 or 17 depending on the platform).

END of EPISODE 06

NEXT EPISODE 7️⃣ «End of Summer Behind the Supermarket with You» will probably adapt manga chapters 17+18+19 . It will be NEW anime material after finishing all the miniepisodes that were pre-released .

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Wait for the GUIDE of EP7: around AUG 21st 2026.

S01E06 – Lingering Scent Behind the Supermarket 🔐

Sasaki might need to stop smoking by medical advice… plus the events that 8 years ago happened to a teen Yamada might have left ripples for today.

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S01E06 – Lingering Scent Behind the Supermarket 🔐

Sasaki might need to stop smoking by medical advice… plus the events that 8 years ago happened to a teen Yamada might have left ripples for today.

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