Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You (スーパーの裏でヤニ吸うふたり)

June 15

The asphalt burns and sweat oozes out of every pore

as the blazing sun saps your energy away.

I get it. I feel your pain.

I'm in sales, too, after all.

But I must apologize.

My words of empathy, spoken in the chilly confines of this smoking room,

hold no water at all, and I know that.

This little act isn't helping.

Out of Order

Why is the damn A/C out of order?!

This must be part of the chief's master plan!

He probably jammed one of his things inside the A/C!

It's basically summer! It's hot!

He can't be that bored.

What, it's so hot, it's shot?!

Don't get so heated. You'll only feel the heat.

That's a shitty joke, and my take is freezing cold!

Oh, fine.

Wait, that'd be perfect, but it's not cold at all!

It'll get fixed tomorrow.

If anything, it's hot! This is pissing me off!

It'll get fixed next week.

It'll stay like this all summer.

Oh?

Good news, Suzuki. It'll get fixed tomorrow.

What? How would you know that?

My little superstition. It's pretty accurate, you know?

Squee! I'm tickled pink to hear that!

If it's not fixed tomorrow, you're a dead man!

Now, now.

Just believe in me and wait, Suzuki-san.

A cool future is nearly upon us.

Urk.

G-Good evening.

My bad.

I was washing away some milk a driver spilled everywhere

and started enjoying it too much.

A hose is a mighty tempting plaything.

Cig 5 Hanging Behind the Supermarket with You

This is weirdly tense.

Thank you for lending me the towel and trousers.

It's the least I could do, since it was my fault.

Oh, not at all.

No need to be so formal, Sasaki-kun.

We're pretty close in age.

W-We are?!

You look like you're in your forties.

And I'm forty exactly. Let's keep it casual.

Someone around my age is heading the busiest supermarket around these parts?

You have my utmost respect.

Why'd that make you up the formality?

You must be impressed every time you learn a person's age.

I can only imagine how you reacted when you learned Tayama's.

Huh? Tayama-san's age?

Yeah.

I have no idea.

Don't you smoke together all the time?

Y-Yeah.

You don't ask her any personal questions?

I don't.

Do you just have no interest in people?

Huh?

Of course I'm interested.

While she messes with me at times,

she still talks to an old dude like me.

How could I not want to get to know her better?

But I enjoy just listening to the things she wants to talk about.

The rest I can just wonder about as I walk home.

No wonder she took to him.

I get it now.

So you're saying you do like Tayama-san?

Whoa! Can we not jump to conclusions?!

Do you hate her, then?

You know I don't!

Then what exactly is it?

I mean, of course I lik...

Heya, I dropped by after a shopping trip.

Hmm?

Tch.

I'm sorry, Sasaki-kun. I've been summoned to deal with a customer complaint.

I'll be back with money to pay for your dry cleaning.

Have a chat with Tayama in the meantime.

Oh, okay...

Bye.

You're soaked, Sasaki-san.

Oh, yeah, I had a little accident.

Huh...

By the way, uh, Tayama-san?

Did you hear all that?

Hear all what?

Nothing. It was no big deal.

Your manager and I were just making small talk—

Wait, what? T-Tayama-san?

You need to dry your hair.

Uh, I didn't get my head wet...

Twenty-four.

Wh...

What is that number?

You can wonder about that as you walk home.

June 20

Yes, right.

Yes, of course.

We'll send it over tonight!

Yes, we're truly sorry. We hope you'll continue—

Schedule

Name Destination Returning By

Chief Suzuki Sasaki Ishida Watanabe Itou Yamamoto Takahashi Mori

6/20 - 7/4 Taiwan Business Trip

Rounds

Back at 5 PM

Couldn't he have done a smooth handover of tasks before leaving on his trip?

Bye. Hold down the fort.

It came out of nowhere.

And he's overseas, to boot.

Sasaki-san, I'm sorry! I forgot one of the estimates!

Call the client and let them know first.

Sorry, Sasaki-san!

The Itou-kun who joined us this year is AWOL. What do I do?

What? Wasn't he in charge of some documents?

That's exactly it. He even took them home with him.

Got it. I'll go call on him.

Text me his address.

Will do!

Send

Estimate...

Oh, crap!

Lock Sleep Shutdown Reboot

See you tomorrow.

Thank you for your patience.

The last train for Shimaida is departing from platform number 2.

Gah.

Alarm

Snooze

Stop

June 21

Huh?

Damn it, I'm out.

Genki Trading

Today, I need to make an order form,

go say hi to a new supplier, and then...

Excuse me, Sasaki-san.

One of my family members just collapsed and got hospitalized...

Oh, it's okay. Go see them.

If you've got any urgent work, I'll take care of it.

Thank you so much!

Hello? Yeah, I'll be right there.

Got it.

It's all this. I'm sorry to leave it to you.

Sorry, Sasaki-san, that Itou-kun isn't here today either.

What do I do?

Sasaki-san?!

Alarm

Snooze

Stop

June 22

Sasaki! I can't take this anymore!

You're doing great, man. Keep doing what you're doing.

Okay.

Alarm

Snooze

Stop

June 23

Alarm

Snooze

Stop

June 27