[Novel] I Was Here—The Cat Says Nothing, But Sasebo Knows the City Scenery (Episode 69: 'After the Rain, Along the Sea, Just Running' / 'On the Bricks Where the Scent of Rain Lingers')

Side B: 'After the Rain, Along the Sea, Just Running'
—Atsushi Takahara's Perspective

The soles of my shoes kick softly against the wet bricks.
My pace is slow, but my breathing is definitely steadying.
Water droplets still cling to the glass walls of the Fifth Avenue shopping center,
and the lingering scent of the streetlights remains faintly in the air.

Beyond the harbor, the silhouette of a self-defense ship.
In the distance, a seagull is crying.

—Three months ago, I bought these running shoes online on a whim.
I saw them on social media a lot, so I thought I'd give them a try.
For the first few days, it was more of a brisk walk than a run.
But one morning, the sky along the harbor was so beautiful,
I thought, 'Maybe I'll try running again tomorrow.' That was the beginning.

It's only recently that I've started to feel like my body has become lighter.
But what I really feel getting lighter is my heart.

I wonder how many years it's been since I became a manager.
Responsibility for numbers, adjusting people's feelings—it's all just piling up on my shoulders.
I don't say it out loud, but my stomach gets heavy every time there's a meeting.

Even when I go home, there's only one light on.
—My wife and I have been living apart for two years now.
The reason isn't that one of us was bad.
We just grew apart in our hearts without realizing it.

In days like those, this time alone became
a precious time for breathing, where I didn't have to be chased by anything.

Atsushi crossed the pedestrian crossing from the Minato Exit of the station,
and as he passed behind the Fifth Avenue shopping center,
he stopped as he always did.
A time to take a deep breath while looking at the sea, without even sitting on a bench.

That was when it happened.
At his feet, a white and brown patched cat with a small notch in one ear
was sitting there before he knew it.

'...Where did you come from?'

The cat stared intently at Atsushi.
It didn't make a sound, it didn't meow. It was just 'there'.

A time when no one is watching. A place where no one notices me.
But feeling like I was being watched by something, the tension in my shoulders suddenly faded.

'I'm thinking of trying to run a half-marathon next year.'

The cat flicked its tail just once and became quiet again.
Whether my words reached it or not didn't matter anymore.
Because I felt like the morning breeze had reached deep into my chest.

The cat stood up before he knew it and walked slowly toward the ferry terminal.
In its back, I felt a warmth as if it were saying, 'That's fine.'

—Because I was here.

Just because of that, the air this morning felt a little kinder.

[End]

Side A: 'On the Bricks Where the Scent of Rain Lingers'
--Bun-chan's Perspective

Remnants of the rain that fell in the middle of the night still lingered in the gaps between the bricks.
The morning harbor was quiet, and the wind carried the scent of the tide.
I was walking along the sidewalk that stretches behind the Fifth Avenue, listening to the sound of the sea.

The sky reflected in the tiles was still behind the clouds.
But I could tell that morning was slowly arriving beyond them.
My whiskers could feel that scent and the color of the wind.

Tap, tap, went the footsteps.
That sound overlapped with the stillness of the tide.
They were lighter than usual, but deep inside, I could still hear the sound of a small stone rolling.

I swayed my tail softly toward that sound,
--and then, I broke into a light trot.

Footsteps lightly bouncing on the wet tiles.
My heart felt a little lighter, too.
Because I could feel his heart slowly unraveling.

I stopped dead in front of the person who had paused along the harbor.
Exhaling white breath, he was looking out at the sea.

'...Where did you come from?'

His voice was low, but somehow, it was soft.
I just stared back. No words were needed.

'I'm thinking of trying to run a half-marathon next year.'

That statement already carried the sound of someone moving forward.
His heart was already much lighter.
I gave my tail a flick and started walking toward the harbor.

A heart made lighter by running
can become even freer from now on. That's what I thought.

--I was here, after all.
I was running through the morning wind with you, too.

[End]

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Series Title List: (To be posted sequentially)

• Episode 1: "The Cat on the Hill" / "The Delivery Person's Mission"

• Episode 2: "The Letter Shop Below the Hill" / "The Flower Shop of Words"

• Episode 3: "The Tail's Map" / "The Tail's Arrow"

• Episode 4: "I'm Waiting for You" / "The Scent of the Wind, the Sound of Curry"

• Episode 5: "The Tail's Guide" / "A Cat in Sasebo"

• Episode 6: "The Sound That Unravels Me" / "The Sound of Trying Too Hard"

• Episode 7: "The Day I Let Go of That Hand" / "Me, Still Not Understanding"

• Episode 8: "The Reason I Cried That Time" / "A Mother's Heart, the Warmth of a Child's Hand"

• Episode 9: "The Night I Couldn't Say 'I'm Home'" / "Will I Be Able to Properly Become a 'Father'?"

• Episode 10: "The Voice of Fish, My Father's Back, Cat Footprints" / "Standing in My Father's Shop."

• Episode 11: "The Day I Returned to Land" / "A Heart Returning to Port"

• Episode 12: 'Beside a Warm Tail' / 'The Presence of Distant Mountains Behind the Scent'

• Episode 13: 'Waiting at the Exit of the Night' / 'The Few Minutes It Takes to Return to Myself'

• Episode 14: 'Before the Sound That Hasn't Yet Played' / 'I'm Sorry. But, Thank You.' / 'Is Staying Behind the Same as Running Away?'

• Episode 15: 'Beside the One Who Prays in Silence' / 'The Prayer of the One Who Prays'

• Episode 16: 'Before the Silence Turns Into Sweat' / 'You're Here Today Too, Bun-chan'

• Episode 17: 'The Reason for Raising the Noren' / 'Bun-chan, It's Not Over Here Yet'

• Episode 18: 'I didn’t say it out loud, but you heard me.' / 'A voiceless voice, I can hear it clearly, you know'

• Episode 19: 'The Silent Winner and the Unsmiling Clown' / 'The Distance Seen From Above, the Scent Reaching From Below'

• Episode 20: 'A Light Ignites Between the Two' / 'I Thought You'd Come. Even Without Any Basis' / 'I didn't exactly go to see you—though you wouldn't believe me if I said that'

• Episode 21: 'The One on the Boundary' / 'I Can Tell Both Departure and Arrival by the Scent'

• Episode 22: 'Even If You Fall, Your Eyes Are Still Looking Forward' / 'I Wanted to Say That I Did It'

• Episode 23: 'Even on Days Without Sound, There Is Someone Who Can Hear' / 'Beyond the Sound, There Is a Heart'

• Episode 24: "The sound of unraveling isn't in the voice, but deep in the eyes." / "Mom, the cat, and the stranger." / "Halfway up the slope, I felt two winds overlap."

• Episode 25: "Today, I didn't hear the sound of the broom." / "When he's quiet, I feel like the garden gets a little wider."

• Episode 26: "Even if you can't hear the bell, the wind is still blowing." / "Even if the bell doesn't ring, the scent of memories remains here."

• Episode 27: "Someone was definitely here, you know." / "They were here, you know."

• Episode 28: "Because those hands were kind." / "Since the day I touched that child, I feel like the town has become a little warmer."

• Episode 29: "The scent of dried nets and a silent kindness." / "Even if you don't say anything, there are things that are understood."

• Episode 30: "I'm glad you're a police officer." / "There was a gentle presence in the shadow of your hat."

• Episode 31: "What Bun-chan reminded me of." / "The scent of memories rose up around the wooden box."

• Episode 32: "The last flight of spring, and Bun-chan." / "The scent of the bus and the rules of spring."

• Episode 33: "A drink, the night breeze, and Bun-chan." / "When your tempo is off, listen to the sound of the wind."

• Episode 34: "A mountain of lucky bags and the scent of that day." / "Beyond the scent of the mountain of lucky bags."

• Episode 35: "A waltz mixed in the wind, and Bun-chan." / "Under the cherry blossoms, scooping up the wind."

• Episode 36: "The Scent of Water, and Bun-chan" / "The Scent of Water, and the Sound of Footsteps"

• Episode 37: "The Scent of the River, a Prayer, and in the Silence of Spring" / "The Scent of the River, a Vow, and Bun-chan"

• Episode 38: "The Scent of the Tide, the Words Conveyed, and Bun-chan" / "The Wind Scooping the Tide, and the Sound of Prayer"

• Episode 39: "Thoughts Swaying on the Water's Surface, and Bun-chan Again" / "The Scent Along the River, and the Shadow of Prayer"

• Episode 40: "The Sound of Unraveling, and Bun-chan" / "The Sound of Passing Through the Wind, and the Scent of the Sea"

• Episode 41: "Damp Cobblestones, and a Gentle Voice" / "The 'Thank You' I Couldn't Say"

• Episode 42: "The First Fish, the First Enemy" / "A Black Shadow, a Young Tail"

• Episode 43: "The First Scent, Warm Hands" / "Beyond the Swept-Clean Path"

• Episode 44: "The Usual Alley, an Unknown Scent" / "Eyes Through the Window, and the Shadow of the Alley"

• Episode 45: "Wood Shavings and Sighs" / "A Playmate Made of Wood Shavings"

• Episode 46: "Tears and the Swaying of a Tail" / "A Place That Cannot Be Found"

• Episode 47: "A Stopped Clock, and Moving Scenery" / "The Wind and the Sweet Scent of Candy"

• Episode 48: "Accumulated Frustration and a Quiet Hairball" / "Shadows of Steel Frames, a Quiet Nap"

• Episode 49: "Things I Can't Put Into Words" / "Things I Want to Say, Left Unsaid" / "Because I Was Just There"

• Episode 50: "Twilight of Hesitation" / "One Path, Two Shadows"

• Episode 51: "Family Growing Distant, the Town Drawing Near" / "Because I Was By Your Side"

• Episode 52: "A Chilly Breeze and a Warm Scent" / "At the Twilight Back Door"

• Episode 53: "The Scent of the Tide and a Small Decision" / "The Sound of Rolling Waves and White Shells"

• Episode 54: "Just Raising My Voice Isn't Enough to Convey It" / "Beside the Stopped Feet"

• Episode 55: "The Feeling That Wants to Bloom Is Still Here" / "The Wind Carries the Sound of Trying to Bloom"

• Episode 56: "A Story That Needs No Voice" / "Reading Aloud Without Words" / "A Story in the Palm of My Hand"

• Episode 57: "Two Bouquets" / "Because I Was Beside the Flowers" / "One More Bouquet"

• Episode 58: "A Gaze Found at the Morning Back Door" / "Memories Overlapping at the Morning Back Door" / "A Gentle Breeze at the Back Door"

• Episode 59: "The Morning When a Blink Was Returned" / "Because I Returned It With a Blink"

• Episode 60: "Touching Memories Across the Sea" / "Just Like That Cat Remembered" / "I Remember, So I Stay Quietly"

• Episode 61: "Pride in the Sunshine" / "I Won't Give Up This Warm Spot"

• Episode 62: "Just Being in the Silence of the Archery Range" / "Looking Further Than the Target"

• Episode 63: "The Scent Brings Me Back" / "My Heart Was in the Steam"

• Episode 64: "Just Seeing Them Off in the Sound of Rain" / "In the Sound Crossing the Rain"

• Episode 65: "The White Ball and a Small Breath" / "Just Staying in the Corner of the Ground"

• Episode 66: "The Sound of Trees and the Presence of a Cat" / "Softly, on an Afternoon That Smells of Wood"

• Episode 67: "’tsumu_toco’ Is Currently on Break." / "Softly, in the Wind of the Bypass"

• Episode 68: "When the Shadows of the Basketball Park Grow Long" / "Between the Sunset and the Goal"

• Episode 69: "After the Rain, Along the Coast, Just Running" / "On the Bricks Where the Scent of Rain Lingers"

Afterword

Thank you for picking up this book.
And I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for walking this far with Bun-chan and the town of Sasebo.

I was born and raised in Sasebo.
However, I left the town for university and found employment outside the prefecture.
But after several turning points in my life, I am now living in this town again.
This short story collection began with my desire to depict the scenery of Sasebo—somewhat nostalgic yet certainly changed—and the people living there, as seen through my eyes now that I am "living in this town again," through a quiet lens called a 'cat's perspective'.
The protagonist, Bun-chan, is a white and brown calico cat.
She doesn't speak human language, but by just being there, she gently accepts the small fluctuations in people's hearts and the expressions they show to no one else.
A cat in a corner of the town.
Even just being that, she is a presence remembered as having "been here."
The title of this collection was named as a word that symbolizes Bun-chan's way of being, and Sasebo as a "place where thoughts remain" for the people who have spent time in this town.
Furthermore, for the creation of this book, I have utilized OpenAI's ChatGPT as a creative partner.
At first, I consulted it about the plot with a light heart, wondering "what kind of story would be born with a cat and a town as the stage," but before I knew it, it became days of carefully exploring the breath of the story and the lingering resonance of words through dialogue with AI.
"A cat that doesn't speak," "people who don't want to talk," "memories of the town that disappear without being told"—
I feel that being able to shape these themes into poetry at times and into stories at others through collaboration with ChatGPT was an essential process for this work.
Sasebo is a town of slopes and harbors.
The scenery that has changed and the atmosphere that remains unchanged all continue to nurture the memories of the people and the town.
I would be happy if Bun-chan's story could gently nestle into your heart as one of those memories.
Spring 2025
From the town of Sasebo
Author

Profile | Kazuomi Matsunaga

🧭Thinking Navigator

Biography: Graduated from Kyushu University, Faculty of Engineering (Materials Engineering) => Engineer at a metal materials manufacturer in Aichi (Production Technology) => Advertising sales for a local free paper in Nagasaki Prefecture => School corporation staff (<- Now here). A person in their 50s living in Nagasaki Prefecture. Both children have graduated from university and left the nest, and I am living with my wife.
I am a writer who lets my thoughts play every day at the intersection of "questions" and "curiosity." Recently, I have been writing about my own unique perspectives on themes such as education, stories, psychology, AI, and design, centering on the serial column "Science of Thought (Shiko no Kagaku)" series. I am exploring "free knowledge design" that goes beyond existing frameworks. My motto is "Imagination opens up the world."
In my main job, while being involved in university and education-related work, I value carefully observing "the moment when people come to 'like' something" and "the scenes where questions sprout."
🧭 I would be happy if I could deliver articles that leave you with a "new perspective" after reading them.
Comments are also very welcome!