Sasaki transitions from his nostalgic flip phone to a brand-new smartphone, but his digital ignorance triggers a wave of pure comedy. Between confusing setting adjustments and back-alley brand readings, Tayama makes sure the weary salaryman has absolutely no room to hide his true biases.
The episode 4 of Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You starts with an older employee lightheartedly teasing Sasaki about his outdated habits, mocking him for relying on a traditional printed newspaper and old-school reading glasses in a modern world where everyone consumes digital media. The coworker pushes him to buy a smartphone, pointing out a passing text exchange with a wife about lunch to emphasize his point.
Sasaki ponders the advice, observing how dependent society has become on messaging applications like OINE. He stubbornly defends his old flip phone right before the screen abruptly goes entirely black and dies. Faced with a broken device and his colleague's warnings that tech repair shops for fossils no longer exist, he realizes he must accept defeat.
Later on, Sasaki sits completely bewildered by the interface of his newly purchased smartphone, struggling to grasp even the basic mechanics of navigating a modern screen. He attempts to read the daily news but inadvertently triggers a string of frightening pop-up warnings about personal data leaks, imaginary viral infections, and multi-million yen demands.
Panicking over an accidentally opened photo gallery screen, he meets up with Tayama in their usual smoking corner behind the supermarket. Tayama laughs at his sudden tech jump, noting his previous flip phone suited his retro aesthetic perfectly. When Sasaki humbly begs her for guidance, she stares blankly at his total lack of fundamental operational knowledge.
Tayama agrees to walk him through the setup, assuming they can skip the home button before discovering he needs help even with that. She explains the Japanese flick input method, guiding his finger to slide over characters to type specific syllables.
Sasaki fails immediately, accidentally selecting incorrect letters and sighing in defeat, which prompts Tayama to switch his layout to a friendlier input setup. When he mentions his ultimate goal of reading daily news articles, she lists the exhausting multi-step process of using the App Store, setting up core device accounts, and formatting application profiles. Seeing his overwhelmed face, she takes the phone to manually set everything up for him.
As Tayama browses through the settings, Sasaki thanks her and mentions he managed to adjust text sizes on his old device, making her suspicious about his supposed tech helplessness. She presses him on how he knew font sizes could be altered, forcing him to confess it was a feature he used frequently on his old flip phone.
Tayama stares at him blankly, playfully wondering if the setting is too complicated for a self-proclaimed tech novice. To celebrate his new digital debut, she jokingly threatens to register Yamada's private phone number into his contacts. Sasaki panics instantly, loudly defending Yamada's privacy before Tayama laughs and confesses she was completely lying.
The timeline shifts to the next day inside the corporate offices of Happy Corp, where a colleague introduces Sasaki to a popular drinking party trend called "brand readings". The coworker proudly shares that a person's smoking brand reveals their inner personality traits, showing off his own highly favorable results about being a loyal and devoted partner.
However, when Sasaki reads the minor details, he points out descriptions calling the man entirely oblivious and unable to read the room. Amused by the concept, Sasaki brings the trendy topic up to Tayama during their evening smoke break, mentioning how accurate the quirky brand profiles seem to be.
Tayama looks up her own cigarette brand reading, only to find a harsh description accusing her of looking down on others despite harboring masochistic tendencies. Sasaki chokes on his smoke in embarrassment, but the situation worsens when he reads his own brand's profile, which attributes a dual personality and an exceptionally intense libido.
Shaken by the dirty joke conclusion, Sasaki drops to his knees in an over-the-top apology, abandoning his glasses and cigarette. Tayama laughs off his intense guilt, assuring him she is not angry and telling him to get back to smoking. Sasaki remarks that the dual personality trait fits her well, calling her a cool-acting softie.
The next evening, a wave of summer heat rolls in right after Golden Week, forcing local businesses to adopt light "Cool Biz" attire. Sasaki completes a successful client meeting, earning high praise from his corporate superiors, and heads toward the supermarket to head straight home.
As he approaches, he notices the store is packed with evening shoppers and spots Yamada working the registers in a short-sleeved summer uniform. Mesmerized by how cute and refreshing she looks in her seasonal attire, he feels too flustered to line up at her register or even buy an ice cream, opting to walk away empty-handed.
The episode ends with Tayama confronting Sasaki during their nightly smoke break about why he loitered near the entrance yesterday without purchasing a single item. Sasaki nervously claims the supermarket was full of cooling negative ions that took his appetite away, but Tayama sees right through him, teasingly asking if Yamada's bare arms blew the summer heat away instead.
Trapped, Sasaki praises the retail workers' seasonal look and accidentally admits he was staring at her bare stomach when she showed off her light layers. Mortified, he frantically apologizes for looking at her midriff, leaving Tayama to quietly poke at her stomach afterward and wonder if she needs to cut back on ramen.
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You Episode 4 delivers an absolute masterclass in cozy, slow-burn comedic timing! The dynamic between Sasaki and Tayama remains the beating heart of this adaptation, and seeing Sasaki panic over smartphone notifications was wonderfully relatable.
The transition into the "Cool Biz" uniform change added a gorgeous seasonal flair to the visuals, capturing that classic slice-of-life shift in atmosphere perfectly. The brand reading scene offered spectacular character banter, blending mild adult humor with pure wholesome awkwardness. It is incredibly satisfying to watch these two dance around their hidden identities while maintaining such comforting chemistry.
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