[Novel] I Was Here—The Cat Says Nothing, But Sasebo Knows the Town Scenery (Episode 65: "White Ball and a Small Breath" / "Just Being in the Corner of the Ground")

Side B: "White Ball and a Small Breath"

An elementary school across the prefectural road from the U.S. military base.
It seems it will become a combined elementary and junior high school next year.

Makoto was always the first one on the school grounds.
It is especially quiet today.
Remnants of last night's rain have left the sand damp, and a puddle has formed under the horizontal bars.
The shutter of the gym storage shed is half-open, and it creaks faintly as it is buffeted by the wind.

Makoto stretches his back while wiping the wet bases one by one with a rag.
His lower back feels heavy. The scene from the night still lingers behind his eyelids.

Last night, his mother, Yuri, complained that her chest felt tight.
After returning from work, he took her to the night clinic with barely enough time for dinner.
The result was a mild case of hyperventilation. However, as he looked at his mother's pale face,
the feeling of self-reproach pierced his chest, thinking, "It's because I leave you alone that this happens."

At the company, his days are spent as a sales manager, chasing after his subordinates' progress and budget figures.
The weekends were supposed to be his time to catch his breath—or so he thought.
But now, even that time is filled with caring for his mother and coaching youth baseball.

Even so, he couldn't bring himself to quit this team.

Five years ago, when he heard a colleague's child was joining, he only intended to show his face,
but before he knew it, he was put in charge of batting practice, and now he is called the "Demon of Defense."

The children are straightforward.
They want to get better, they want to win; they pour sweat for that reason alone.
That attitude reminds him of his younger self, so he can't walk away.

But this morning was different.
His body wouldn't move.
He sat down on the bench, clasped his fingers together, and let out a breath.

That was when it happened.

A small presence at his feet.
When he looked down quietly, there was a cat—

White and brown patches. A small notch in one ear.
It seems it had approached from the edge of the wet school grounds before he noticed.

The cat sat down at Makoto's feet.
It didn't run away, nor did it meow. It just sat there, perfectly still.

"...Where did you come from?"

Without reacting to his voice, its eyes just looked up at him.
They were gentle and slightly clear, as if to say, "I understand."

He remembers the name a subordinate mentioned during small talk in the breakroom.

"—Bun-chan?"

The cat slowly blinks its eyelids.

Makoto almost let out a laugh.
The tension he had been holding onto loosened just a little.

Being needed—that is what supports Makoto right now.
But he had been running, pretending not to notice the weight of it.

This cat is just "here".
It doesn't try to be needed by anyone; it just exists there.
For some reason, that alone made me feel saved.

After a while, Bun-chan stood up and walked toward the edge of the schoolyard without a word.
Its tail swayed gently, melting into the morning breeze.

"Good morning, Coach!"

The energetic voices of the children could be heard from the shadow of the school building, one level above the ground.

Makoto stood up slowly.
Then, he took a deep breath.

"Alright, let's start with fielding practice again today."

—I was here.
That alone made it a morning where I could take a small breath.

[End]

Side A: "Because I'm Just Here in the Corner of the Ground"

The morning sky was vaguely white and cloudy.
The scent of yesterday's rain still lingered on the ground.
Damp soil and a slightly chilly breeze.
I slipped past the pool and stepped into the elementary schoolyard.

There was no one there yet. A puddle under the horizontal bars.
The swings were still wet, swaying slightly in the wind.

In the middle of it all, a man was standing.
He was wiping the base. There was tension in his fingertips.
However, his shoulders were slumped just a little.

—The sound of his heart was creaking.

He must not have been able to sleep last night.
It wasn't just physical exhaustion. His heart was a little worn out, too.

I approached quietly from the corner of the storage shed.
Cats don't make noise, so I'm often not noticed.
But today, I intentionally left a little sound with my footsteps.

The man sat on the bench and closed his eyes.
The wind blew, and the sand on the ground flowed smoothly.

I sat down at their feet.

They noticed immediately.
That person gently opened their eyes and looked down at me.

"...Where did you come from?" they muttered.

There was weariness in their voice. But there was also a faint hint of a smile mixed in.

I said nothing. I just looked straight up.
I gave my tail a soft flick to let them know I was "here."

"——Is that you, Bun-chan?"

To that person's call, I replied with a slow blink.

Being needed is a happy thing.
But carrying everything on your back must be exhausting.
At times like that, I just quietly "am."

I am quietly here, in a place where no one else is looking.
I don't speak. I don't move. I am simply here.

After a while, that person slowly stood up.
There was still weariness left on their face, but their eyes looked a little lighter.

I slowly stood up and started walking toward the corner of the schoolyard.
From far away, the voices of children were drawing closer.

The wind blew again, and the air on the ground changed.

I was here.
And that is enough.

[End]

• Bun-chan (deformed version) LINE stickers are now available🐾 ▼

• Previous episode ▼

List of series titles: (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 Can't Say 'I'm Home'" / "Will I Be Able to Properly Become a 'Father'?"

• Episode 10: "The Voice of Fish, My Old Man's Back, and Cat Footprints" / "Standing in My Old Man'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 Myself"

• Episode 14: "Before the Sound That Hasn't Finished Ringing" / "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 Again Today, 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." / "I can hear your voiceless voice just fine, you know"

• Episode 19: "The Winner Who Doesn't Cry Out and the Clown Who Doesn't Laugh" / "The Distance Seen From Above, the Scent Reaching From Below"

• Episode 20: "A Light Is Lit Between the Two" / "I Thought You'd Come. I Have No Basis for It, Though." / "I didn't go to see you—you wouldn't believe me if I said that, would you?"

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

• Episode 22: "Even When Falling, Only the Eyes Look Forward" / "I Wanted to Say That 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 That Unravels Is Not in the Voice, But Deep in the Eyes" / "Mom, the Cat, and the Stranger" / "On the Slope, I Felt Two Winds Overlap"

• Episode 25: "There was no sound of a broom today" / "When he was silent, I felt the garden grew a little wider"

• Episode 26: "Even if I 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: "Because someone was definitely here" / "Because they were here"

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

• Episode 29: "The scent of dried nets and the gentleness of silence" / "Even if you say nothing, there are things that are understood"

• Episode 30: "I'm glad you were 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 with 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, Prayers, and the Silence of Spring" / "The Scent of the River, Vows, and Bun-chan"

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

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

• 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" / "A Thank You Left Unsaid"

• Episode 42: "First Fish, First Enemy" / "Black Shadow, Young Tail"

• Episode 43: "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 Fur Ball" / "Shadow of Steel Beams, a Quiet Nap"

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

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

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

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

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

• Episode 54: "Just Making a Sound Isn't Enough to Convey It" / "Beside the Stopped Feet"

• Episode 55: "The Feeling That Wanted 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" / "Another Bouquet"

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

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

• Episode 60: "Touching Memories From Across the Sea" / "Just Like That Cat Remembered" / "Because I Remember, I Am Quietly Here"

• Episode 61: "Pride in the Sunshine" / "I Won't Give Up the 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: "White Ball and a Small Breath" / "Just Being in the Corner of the Ground"

Afterword

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

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 people living there, as seen through my eyes now that I have "returned to live in this town again," using a quiet lens called 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 the corner of 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, for 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 rhythm 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 something 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.
Both the scenery that has changed and the atmosphere that remains unchanged continue to nurture the memories of the people and the town.
I would be happy if Bun-chan's story could gently nestle in 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 material 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.
A writer who plays with thoughts 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, centered on the serial column "Science of Thinking." 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 "scenes where questions sprout."
🧭 I would be happy if I could deliver articles that, after reading, sprout one "new perspective" within you.
Any feedback is also very welcome!