[Novel] I Was Here—The Cat Says Nothing, But Sasebo Knows the Town Scenery (Episode 22: "Even If You Fall, Keep Your Eyes Looking Forward" / "I Wanted to Say I Did It")

Side A: "Even If You Fall, Keep Your Eyes Looking Forward"
—Bun-chan, at the skate park under the Nishi-Kyushu Expressway overpass

　I am a cat. Bun-chan.
　At a time when the night is still fast asleep.
　I was walking through the town of Sasebo, as I always do.

　Today, my feet naturally headed toward that overpass.
　Under the Nishi-Kyushu Expressway, where the concrete ceiling stretches on and on, there is
a "skate park" as it is called.　It is right by the intersection in front of the U.S. Navy base gate.

　I heard a sound.
　A "clack, clatter!" sound of falling.
　Every time it repeats, there is a "scent of seriousness" mixed in.

　At a time when the sun had not yet shown its face,
　a boy was standing there.

　With a helmet and elbow pads, his skateboard deck was still new.
　His body didn't seem to be keeping up with the movements of the skateboard yet, but
his eyes alone were firmly looking forward.

　I climbed onto an old flowerpot in the corner of the park and sat down quietly.
　From there, I could see the boy's movements perfectly.

　"Alright... one more time!"

　He falls again and again.
　His elbows and knees are already dirty.
　Even so, he doesn't even make a frustrated face.
　Onlyhis breath is hot.

　He falls, then gets up.
　He gets up, then rides again.

　Just watching that,
　my tail starts swaying on its own.

This place is mixed with the breeze of America.
I often see children of U.S. military families skateboarding,
and I frequently see big guys jumping around while playing music.

But this boy is alone.
Without a sound, in the cold night air,
he is making his own sound.

I was just there.
I didn't even meow. I didn't even approach him.
But every time the boy glanced over at me,
I could tell his expression softened just a little.

To him, I might just be a cat.
But—surely, the fact that someone is watching
can sometimes be a little light in one's heart.

The sun finally began to show its face in the gradient sky.

The boy attempts his final slide.
He places his feet on the board and surges forward—

"I did it...!"

A voice not directed at anyone in particular.
But I couldn't help but stand my tail straight up.

He smiled just a little, then picked up his board and walked away.
He must have school, I suppose.

I sat in the air where his scent still lingered and thought.

People who aren't afraid to fall are strong. And people who work hard where no one can see are even cooler.

That boy will come back, won't he?
When he does, I'll still be here, just the same.

Because,
even a cat has moments when it thinks something is 'cool'.

[End]

Side B: "I Wanted to Say I Did It"
—From the Morning Practice Diary of a Boy at the Sasebo Skate Park

The sky was still dark.
Only the streetlights, the sound of cars, and the sound of my own breathing.

Today, I woke up earlier than usual.
I think I was probably nervous.
The ollie I couldn't do yesterday,
I really wanted to try it one more time first thing this morning.

Right in front of the main gate of the U.S. military base, under the Nishi-Kyushu Expressway overpass.
The skate park there
has a concrete ceiling to keep the rain out, and there are few people in the morning.

The other day, some foreign guys were really good,
and seeing that lit a fire in me.

My body still can't balance well,
and I've fallen so many times that my palms are stinging.
But for some reason, strangely, I didn't feel like crying.

Maybe,
"frustration" and "love" are a little bit alike.

After falling for the umpteenth time,
I suddenly sensed something and looked up.

It was a cat.
White and brown patches.
It was staring right at me.

"…Who are you?"

The cat didn't answer, but
it didn't run away either; it just stayed there, staring.

At first I didn't pay it any mind, but
even after I fell a few times, the cat didn't move.
In fact, its tail would twitch only when I got on the board.

"…Are you watching?"

I said it out loud, but of course there was no reply.
But somehow,I felt like it told me, "I'm watching."

I was happy.
I realized that having someone watch you makes you this happy.

That's why I could be more serious.
More carefully, the angle of my feet, the center of gravity of my body,
with my head spinning with thoughts, one more time.

—Clack.
The sound was different.

The board popped properly and came back under my feet.

"…I did it."

I said it to the cat.
It's not like anyone was listening, but
for some reason,"I wanted to tell this cat.".

The cat stood up, held its tail high, and walked away.
It was as if it had said, "Good, you passed."

The sky began to brighten,
and little by little, signs of people began to increase.

But this morning hour,
I think I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Because,
someone was actually watching the moment I felt I had done it.

[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 Word Florist"

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

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

• Episode 5: "The Tail 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 Knowing"

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

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

• Episode 10: "Fish Voices, Father's Back, Cat Footprints" / "Standing in 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 I Return to Being Myself"

• Episode 14: "Before the Sound That Hasn't Yet Rung" / "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 Stillness Turns to Sweat" / "You're Here Today Too, Bun-chan"

• Episode 17: "The Reason for Raising the Noren Curtain" / "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 Winner Who Doesn't Sing and the Clown Who Doesn't Laugh" / "The Distance Seen from Above, the Scent Reaching from Below"

• Episode 20: "A Light Ignites Between the Two" / "I Thought You'd Come. I Have No Proof, But Still" / "I Didn't Exactly Go to See You—Though You Probably Won't Believe Me If I Say That"

• Episode 21: "One Who Stands on the Boundary" / "I Can Tell Both Departures and Arrivals by the Scent"

• Episode 22: "Even If You Fall, Keep Your Eyes Looking Forward" / "I Wanted to Say I Did It"

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

• Episode 24: "The Sound of Unraveling Is Not in the Voice, But Deep in the Eyes" / "Mom, the Cat, and the Stranger"

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

• Episode 26: "Even If You Can't Hear the Bell, the Wind Is Still Blowing" / "Even Without the Sound of the Bell, the Scent of Memories Remains Here"

• Episode 27: "Because Someone Was Certainly Here" / "Because They Were Here"

• Episode 28: "Because Those Hands Were Kind"

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

• Episode 30: "I'm Glad It Was You, Officer" / "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 started working 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 somewhat nostalgic, yet certainly changing, scenery of Sasebo and the lives of the people there, as seen through my eyes now that I have "returned to live in this town again," using a quiet lens called the 'cat's perspective'.
The protagonist, Bun-chan, is a white and brown patched cat.
He doesn't speak human language, but just by being by your side, he gently accepts the small fluctuations in people's hearts and the expressions they show to no one else.
A cat in the corner of town.
That is all he is, yet 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 of 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 consulting on the plot with a light heart, wondering "what kind of stories 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," "a person who doesn't want to talk," "memories of a town that disappear without being told"—
I feel that being able to shape these themes into something that is sometimes like poetry and sometimes like a story through collaboration with ChatGPT was an essential process for this work.
Sasebo is a town of slopes and ports.
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 (Materials Engineering) => Engineer at a metal materials manufacturer in the Chukyo region (Production Technology) => Advertising sales for a local free paper in Nagasaki Prefecture => University staff (<- 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, stories, psychology, AI, and design, centered on the serial column "Science of Thought" series. I am exploring "free knowledge design" that goes beyond existing frameworks. My motto is "Imagination opens up the world."
In my main profession, while being involved in university and education-related work, I value carefully observing the moments when "people start to like something" and "scenes where questions sprout."
🧭 I would be happy if I could deliver articles that help a "new perspective" sprout within you after reading.
Feedback is always welcome!