[Novel] I Was Here—The Cat Says Nothing, But Sasebo Knows the Town Scenery (Episode 17: "The Reason for Raising the Noren" / "Bun-chan, It's Not Over Here Yet")

Side A: "The Reason for Raising the Noren"
—Bun-chan and the Grandmother at the Arcade Clothing Store

　I am a cat. Bun-chan.
　Sasebo's arcade shopping street is long, so very long.
　It's so long that just walking from one end to the other makes you want to take a nap.

　I heard that in the old days, this street was much livelier.
　The spirited voices of fishmongers.
　Radio calisthenics in front of the shops.
　Students in uniforms.
　They say that in the evenings, it was so crowded with people shopping for side dishes that you couldn't even pass by one another.

　Now, there are 100-yen shops and chain stores.
　The signs have all become similar colors,
　and the number of shops with closed shutters has increased.

　However, amidst all that, there is a scene that remains unchanged, standing all alone.
　"Mikawaya Clothing Store"—a clothing store that has been around since shortly after the war.

　The noren curtain, the wooden sign, the glass doors—
　they are a bit old, but they open at the same time every morning.

　The one who runs the shop is a grandmother.
　White hair, a navy blue apron—
　the same appearance she has had since I was a kitten.

　Today, too, I am sunbathing in the morning on top of a cardboard box in front of the shop.
　The grandmother slid the door open with a rattle,
　and began sweeping the floor in front of the shop with a broom.

　"Bun-chan, you were late this morning.
　　The children on their way to school were waving just a little while ago."

　I flick my tail lazily.
　The grandmother knows perfectly well that is my signal for "I'm listening."

Suddenly, Grandma spoke.

...Really, the number of shops has decreased, hasn't it.
Both the shop to the right and the one to the left are empty houses now.

The movement of the broom stopped.
The sound of the wind slipped through the gaps in her words.

But you know, we still have customers waiting for us.
Saying, "That shop will fix the size for me."
Saying, "That lady there will tell me stories from the old days."

Saying that, Grandma stood the broom upright.
I stood up smoothly and snuggled close to her.
Her wrinkled hand gently stroked my back.

Only you, Bun-chan, never change.
When you're here, strangely enough, I don't feel lonely.

Thin sunlight spilled down from the arcade ceiling.
It was quiet, but a gentle light.

Even beyond the closed shutters,
I feel like the voices of people who are no longer here still faintly remain.

Grandma adjusted a mannequin's dress through the glass.
A white lace one with a somewhat nostalgic pattern.

It might be old-fashioned to young people, but,
As long as just one person thinks it's cute,
this dress still has a purpose.

I raise my tail and head into the back of the shop.
Today, too, Grandma and this town,
will continue on, just a little bit nostalgic.

[End]

Side B: "Bun-chan, it's not over here yet"
—Mikawaya Clothing Store: Grandma's Record

Every morning, whenever I slide the door open, I think about it.
In the old days, this sound would overlap with the toy store and bedding shop next door,
and it felt like the whole shopping street was saying "Good morning" all at once.

Now, there are vacant shops to the left and right.
The "Space for Rent" signs stuck to the shutters are peeling in the wind.

There are more 100-yen shops now, too.
For young people, I suppose those are more convenient.
Cheap, fast, and they have everything.

But I am still here.
Mikawaya Clothing Store, which has been running since the year after the war ended.
I've always just sold "things you can find anywhere," but,
with things like alterations and consultations about seams,
I remain here through the effort between people.

This morning, when I was holding my broom and sweeping in front of the shop,
Bun-chan was the one who suddenly appeared.

"Good morning... You were late this morning, weren't you?"

This child is a mysterious cat.
He doesn't even meow, but he truly understands how I feel.
Even at times when no one passes by, just being able to share
the morning air like this, one person and one cat, is a great comfort.

"Bun-chan, look. That place over there is vacant again.
The Yamashita Bedding Shop next door closed last year, too, didn't it?"

It's lonely, but I won't hold any grudges.
Everyone did their best in their own way.

But,
"Ma'am, do you still have buttons for this?"
"I wore this uniform back in junior high."
As long as there is even one person
who says things like that,
I won't take down this noren.

Bun-chan gently rubs against my feet.
The warmth of his fur feels like he's pushing me on, saying, "That's the right way to feel."

"Thank you... Bun-chan,
just by you being here in the morning,
I feel like this town is still living in the 'Showa' era for a little while longer."

Bun-chan doesn't answer.
But he just walks into the shop,
and settles down smoothly under the usual display stand.

That's right. Today, somehow, it feels like it's going to be a good day.

No matter how this town changes,
even if this shop ends up all alone,
for Bun-chan and for "someone who will come again,"
I will keep opening these glass doors.

Because it's not over here yet.

[End]

Previous episode▼

List of series titles: (Scheduled to be posted sequentially)

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

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

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

• Episode 4: "I'll Be Waiting" / "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 to 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 Become a Proper 'Father'?"

• Episode 10: "The Voice of Fish, My Father's Back, the Cat's 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"

• Chapter 13: "Waiting at the Exit of the Night" / "The Few Minutes I Return to Myself"

• Chapter 14: "Before the Sound Fully Rings" / "I'm Sorry. But, Thank You" / "Is Staying Behind the Same as Running Away?"

• Chapter 15: "Beside the One Who Prays in Silence" / "The Prayer of the One Who Prays"

• Chapter 16: "Before the Silence Turns into Sweat" / "You're Here Today Too, Bun-chan"

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

• Chapter 18: "I didn’t say it out loud, but you heard me." / "A Voiceless Voice, I Can Hear It Clearly"

• Chapter 19: "The Winner Who Doesn't Sing and the Clown Who Doesn't Laugh" / "The Distance Seen from Above, the Scent Reaching from Below"

• Chapter 20: "Light Ignites Between the Two" / "I Thought You'd Come. Even Though I Have No Proof" / "I wouldn't believe you if you said, 'I didn't go to see you'"

• Chapter 21: "The One at the Boundary" / "I Can Tell by the Scent Whether It's a Departure or an Arrival"

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

• Chapter 23: "Even on Days Without Sound, There Are Those Who Can Hear" / "Beyond the Sound, There Is a Heart"

• Chapter 24: "The Sound of Unraveling Is Not in the Voice, But in the Depths of the Eyes" / "Mother, the Cat, and the Stranger"

• Chapter 25: "Today, There Was No Sound of a Broom" / "When He Was Silent, I Felt the Garden Grow a Little Larger"

• Chapter 26: "Even If You Can't Hear the Sound of the Bell, the Wind Is Still Blowing" / "Even If the Bell Doesn't Ring, the Scent of Affection Remains Here"

• Chapter 27: "Because Someone Was Certainly Here" / "Because You Were Here"

• Chapter 28: "Because Those Hands Were Kind"

• Chapter 29: "The Scent of Dried Nets and Silent Kindness" / "Even Without Saying Anything, There Are Things That Are Understood"

• Chapter 30: "I'm Glad You Were a Policeman" / "There Was a Kind Presence in the Shadow of Your Hat"

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 milestones in my life, I am now living in this town again.
This collection of short stories began with my desire to depict the somewhat nostalgic, yet certainly changed, scenery of Sasebo that I see now that I have returned to live here, and the figures of the people who live there, through the quiet lens of a 'cat's perspective'.
The protagonist, Bun-chan, is a white and brown calico cat.
He doesn't speak human language, but by just being there, he 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.
While that is all he is, he is a presence that is surely remembered as having 'been here.'
The title of this short story collection was named as a symbol of Bun-chan's way of being, and Sasebo as a 'place where memories remain' for the people who have spent time in this town.
Furthermore, in the creation of this book, I have utilized OpenAI's ChatGPT as a creative partner.
At first, I started by consulting on 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 the words through dialogue with AI.
'A cat that doesn't speak,' 'a person who doesn't want to speak,' 'memories of a town that disappear without being told'—
I feel that being able to give shape to such themes through collaboration with ChatGPT, sometimes as poetry and sometimes as a story, 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

Biography:Graduated from a national university in Kyushu with a degree in Engineering (Materials Science) => Engineer at a metal materials manufacturer in the Chukyo region (Production Technology) => Advertising sales for a local free paper in Nagasaki Prefecture => University staff member (← Currently here). A person in their 50s living in Nagasaki Prefecture.
I am a writer who lets my thoughts play daily at the intersection of "questions" and "curiosity." Recently, I have been writing about my own unique perspectives on themes such as education, storytelling, psychology, AI, and design, centered around my serialized column series, "The Science of Thought." I am exploring "free design of knowledge" that transcends existing frameworks. My motto is "Imagination opens up the world."
In my professional life, while working in university and education-related fields, I value carefully observing the moments when "people start to like something" and the scenes where "questions begin to sprout."
🧭 I would be happy if I could deliver articles that leave you with a "new perspective" after reading them.
Any feedback is always welcome!