Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You Ending Explained: Did Sasaki Finally Choose Tayama?

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Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You ends its first anime season not with a confession, but with something arguably more important for Sasaki: a decision to stop running from his past. After receiving a message from his former mentor Nakajima, Sasaki is forced to confront memories from his company days that he has spent years avoiding.

And when he finally returns to the supermarket, Tayama is still there. Their relationship remains complicated, their identity secret remains intact, and romance is still technically unresolved. But that does not mean Sasaki has learned nothing. In fact, the 12 episodes have deeper things to tell.

Sasaki Finally Confronts the Past He Tried to Leave Behind

The finale begins with Sasaki receiving news from Nakajima, his former superior and mentor, who is preparing to retire and asks to see him again. Instead of happily accepting, Sasaki spirals. The invitation drags him back to his time at the company headquarters and memories he associates with regret.

That explains why Sasaki becomes so distracted that even Tayama notices something is wrong. He admits that Nakajima once tried to bring him along to headquarters, but things ultimately did not work out. Worse, Sasaki believes he contributed to some of Nakajima’s unpleasant memories from that period and therefore feels he has no right to meet him again.

Tayama refuses to let him hide behind that excuse. After Sasaki continues wallowing, she effectively bans him from their smoking spot, telling him that smoking with the version of Sasaki standing in front of her is no fun. It is harsh, but it is also one of her most caring moments. For most of the series, Sasaki has been the older, steadier presence who offers Tayama support. Here, their dynamic flips. Tayama recognizes that Sasaki is hurting and pushes him toward the thing he is most determined to avoid.

Eventually, Sasaki accepts Suzuki’s Hokkaido business trip and meets Nakajima. The encounter does not reveal some shocking secret. Instead, Nakajima reassures him that their shared memories are not defined by the bad ones. Sasaki finally realizes that the past he feared facing may not be as unforgiving as he imagined.

More importantly, Sasaki admits that he needed a girl to tell him that someone was always there for him. Nakajima immediately understands that this woman must be important to him. Sasaki never explicitly names Tayama, but the implication is difficult to miss. Sasaki is no longer merely visiting Tayama because the smoking spot happens to be convenient. She has become part of the emotional support system he never realized he needed.

Do Sasaki and Tayama Finally in the End?

Sasaki and Yamada (Tamaya) from Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You. [Credit: Asahi Production]

No, Sasaki and Tayama do not officially become a couple in the anime’s first-season finale. There is no confession, relationship announcement, or kiss. The anime deliberately leaves their romance in the same deliciously frustrating space between friendship and something more. But the final scene makes the relationship feel significantly closer.

Sasaki returns from Hokkaido to the familiar smoking spot, where he reunites with Tayama. Their post-credits conversation is playful rather than dramatic. Tayama reveals that she has never actually been to Hokkaido, and Sasaki talks about his trip. She then asks him to put his scarf around her because of the cold, leading to a small but intimate gesture between them. Sasaki has just confronted the part of his life that kept him emotionally stuck. His return to Tayama therefore feels less like simply coming back to his smoking routine and more like choosing the connection he has built in the present.

There is another delicious wrinkle: Sasaki still does not know that Tayama and Yamada are the same woman. The audience knows the truth, but Sasaki continues to treat them as two different people. So, has Sasaki finally chosen Tayama? Emotionally, the finale strongly points toward her becoming someone he consciously values. Romantically, however, the anime has not confirmed that choice yet. And the finale’s title, “Keeping It Going Behind the Supermarket with You,” says almost everything. Their story does not end. It continues.

Do you think Sasaki is finally choosing Tayama? Comment below!

Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You is available on Crunchyroll.

Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You Ending Explained: Did Sasaki Finally Choose Tayama?