What does います mean if used as an answer to a question?


I saw an instagram story where this guy is answering a bunch of questions and
someone asked, "彼女はいる?" (do you have a girlfriend?) And he answered, "います//"
and I don't know what that means.




いる is the verb "to exist" for animate objects (います is the polite form).

ある is the verb "to exist" for inanimate objects (あります is the polite form).

So in this case a literal translation would be:

> 彼女はいる?
>
> Is there a girlfriend?
>
> いる。
>
> There is.

ある、いる、持つ(to hold) are all also used for "to have" in Japanese, depending on
the situation.

