[Novel] I Was Here—The Cat Says Nothing, But Sasebo Knows the Town Scenery (Episode 42: "First Fish, First Enemy" / "Black Shadow, Young Tail")

Side A: "First Fish, First Enemy"
—From Bun-chan's perspective

　The morning air was chilly.
　I still don't know much about this town.
　Sasebo Harbor always smells of the tide.
　But this morning, the smell of fish is strong.

　The fishmonger's alley.
　I walked slowly, cautiously, looking behind me again and again.
　It's still dark, so there are few people around.

　—There it was.

　On the cobblestones, a few scraps of fish were scattered.
　Look, breakfast.
　My heart skipped a beat.

　—But, I immediately tensed up.

　"Caw!"

　A raspy voice from above.

　I turned around with a start.
　A black shadow was flapping its wings on the power line.
　Kurosuke. Kurosuke the crow.

　I know him.
　He's the troublemaker of this town.
　He steals food from other cats and screams at them.

　"S-shut up!"
　I meowed back while holding the fish in my mouth.

　But Kurosuke swooped down.
　Spreading his black wings, he inched closer.

　I arched my back.
　But my heart was pounding.

　I'm not a strong cat.
　Because I've only just become alone.

　"Caw!" Kurosuke cawed.
　I bit down hard on the fish and stared back at him.

　Silence.

　My whiskers twitched.
　Kurosuke's beak moved slightly.

Which one would move first?
I didn't know.
But I didn't want to back down.

Just then, footsteps from the back of the alley.

"Hey! Stop messing around!"

The fishmonger shouted loudly.
I jumped in surprise.
I panicked and ran while still holding the fish in my mouth.

But, the fish fell on the way.
Behind me, Kuro-suke's voice: "Caw! Caw!"

I ran without looking back.

After a while, I finally stopped.
Panting, I looked back.

Up on the power line, Kuro-suke is looking down.
His beak is empty.
My mouth is empty, too.

Neither of us managed to get the fish.

"...You idiot."

Kuro-suke gave a short "Caw."
I replied with a short "Meow."

I am still young.
I might not be a match for Kuro-suke.
But, I don't want to run away.

I flicked my tail softly and left the alley behind.
The morning breeze was just a little bit warm.

[End]

Side B: "Black Shadow, Young Tail"
—From Kuro-suke's perspective

The morning sky is still dim.
Sasebo harbor has its usual scent of the tide.
The wind blows through with a whistle.

I am on the power line.
Looking down, there is the fishmonger's alley.

The fishmonger, still preparing, is carrying a box.
At his feet, a scrap of fish is lying there.

—Hey, here's breakfast.

I was flapping my wings, taking aim.
But there was someone else aiming for it, too.

A young white cat with brown spots.
Walking along, hopping and checking behind him.

—Was that Bun-chan?

He must have just arrived in this town.
Still small, and clumsy.

Slowly, slowly.
The moment he grabbed the fish, I let out a cry.

"Caw!"

The young tail jumped in surprise.
The eyes of Bun-chan, who looked up, were full of fear.

I slowly descended.
I placed one foot in the alley and approached him inch by inch, keeping my black wings spread.

"S-shut up!"
Bun-chan growled softly.

—Shut up is my line.

He thinks the fish belongs to him.
I have to teach him who is strong in this alley.

My beak drew closer to the fish.
But Bun-chan wouldn't back down.

He arched his back and twitched his whiskers.
Those eyes—he must be at least a little scared.

For a while, we glared at each other in silence.
The morning breeze whistled through the alley.

Just then.

"Hey! Stop causing trouble!"

The fishmonger's voice.
Bun-chan jumped in surprise.
He took off running with the fish still in his mouth.

I scrambled to kick off into the air, too.

But he dropped the fish along the way.
I couldn't pick it up either.

Returning to the power line and looking down,
Bun-chan is catching his breath while looking up at me.

—Hmph, still got a long way to go.

I let out a single "Caw."
Bun-chan replies with a short "Meow."

He is weak.
But, he didn't run away.

I stayed on the power line for a while,
watching Bun-chan's small back as he walked away.

The sea breeze blew again, brushing past the tips of my feathers.

[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 at the Bottom of the Hill" / "The Flower Shop of Words"

• 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 Unties 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 Hands"

• 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 Old Man's Back, a Cat's 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: "I Was Waiting at the Exit of the Night" / "The Few Minutes I Return to 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 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." / "A voiceless voice, I can hear it clearly"

• Episode 19: "The Victor Who Does Not Sing and the Clown Who Does Not Laugh" / "The Distance Seen From Above, the Scent Reaching From Below"

• Episode 20: "A light ignites between the two of them" / "I thought you'd come. I have no proof, but I just knew" / "You probably won't believe me if I say I didn't go there specifically to meet you"

• Episode 21: "Those who stand on the boundary" / "I can tell by the scent whether someone is leaving or arriving"

• Episode 22: "Even when you fall, your eyes are still looking forward" / "I wanted to say that I did it"

• Episode 23: "Even on days when there is no sound, there are those 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" / "On the slope, I felt as if two winds had overlapped"

• Episode 25: "Today, there was no sound of a broom" / "When he was quiet, I felt like the garden grew 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: "Because someone was definitely here" / "They were here"

• Episode 28: "Because those hands were kind" / "Ever 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 say nothing, there are things that are understood"

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

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

• Chapter 32: "The Last Train of Spring, and Bun-chan." / "The Smell of the Bus, and the Rules of Spring"

• Chapter 33: "Drinks, the Night Breeze, and Bun-chan." / "When the Tempo Is Off, Listen to the Sound of the Wind"

• Chapter 34: "A Mountain of Lucky Bags, and the Scent of That Day" / "Beyond the Scent of the Mountain of Lucky Bags"

• Chapter 35: "A Waltz Mixed with the Wind, and Bun-chan" / "Under the Cherry Blossoms, Scooping Up the Wind"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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 and the lives of the people who live 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' as a medium.
The protagonist, Bun-chan, is a white and brown calico cat.
He does not speak human language, but by simply 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.
Even though 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 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 the 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 give shape to these themes through collaboration with ChatGPT, sometimes like poetry and sometimes as stories, was an essential process for this work.
Sasebo is a town of slopes and ports.
The scenery that has changed and the air 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 Kyushu University, Faculty of Engineering (Materials Science) ⇒ Engineer at a metal materials manufacturer in the Chukyo region (Production Engineering) ⇒ Advertising sales for a local Nagasaki free paper ⇒ Educational institution staff (← Current position). 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 currently exploring "free design of knowledge" that transcends existing frameworks. My motto is "Imagination opens up the world."
While working in university and education-related fields as my main profession, 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.
Comments are always welcome!