[Novel] I was here—The cat says nothing, but Sasebo knows the townscape (Episode 52: "A Chilly Breeze and a Warm Scent" / "At the Back Door at Dusk")

Side B: "A Chilly Breeze and a Warm Scent"
—From Bun-chan's perspective

　The arcade shopping street was faintly dyed orange by the evening light.
　As always, I walked slowly, feeling the scent of the breeze.
　The street was lively, but it became quiet once I turned into an alley.

　An old wooden sliding door.
　A faded brush-written noren curtain reading "Maruha" swayed.

　Set meal and rice shop "Maruha".
　It was a small shop, but it had a solid, calm atmosphere.
　Faded Showa-era posters were stuck to the glass window outside,
　and a savory scent always drifted from beyond the sliding door.

　During the day, it was bustling with office workers and the elderly,
　and at night, regulars on their way home from work would trickle in.
　The aroma of grilled fish, the sweet scent of fried food.
　No matter how busy the day was, the inside of the shop was somehow gentle.

　Relying on that scent, I quietly approached the back door.

　Just then, the back door creaked open.
　The old iron hinges made a slightly squeaky sound.

　A young girl in a white apron came out.
　Shoulder-length black hair, looking down a bit, with a somewhat tired face.

　She held a tray in her hands.
　Grilled fish, a small side dish, miso soup, and steaming hot rice.
　—This was the staff meal at "Maruha".

　The girl placed the tray on the back door steps and sat down alone.
　A sigh escaped her softly.

　I sat down quietly at her feet.

　"...Sigh, I messed up again."

　Her voice, whispering softly, sounded somewhat dejected.

　The girl brought the rice to her mouth, but it seemed like she couldn't taste it.
　Her gaze was on the tray, but her heart was drifting far away.

　—Did something happen?

　I moved closer and sat down right beside her.

　"...Hmm?"

　The girl suddenly looked down.
　Her eyes met mine.

At first she was surprised, but then she suddenly smiled.

"...Do you want some food, too?"

I kept staring at her and gave my tail a soft flick.

"...Well, I suppose it's fine. You'll get fat, and I always leave some over anyway."

As she said that, she used her chopsticks to set aside a little bit of rice from her bowl.

I slowly approached and nibbled at the rice.
A soft, gentle scent tickled my nose.

The girl watched me eat intently.
Her face had softened just a little.

"...I failed again... but oh well, I guess it's fine."

I finished eating the rice, gave my tail a soft flick, and stood up.

"...Come back again, okay?"

The girl's voice echoed gently.

I looked back for a moment and blinked slowly.

——I was here, after all.

As the sunset dyed the back alley orange,
I started walking again, feeling the next breeze.

[End]

Side B: "At the Back Door at Twilight"
——From Chinatsu's perspective

When I opened the back door of "Maruha," a chilly breeze brushed against my cheeks.

The staff meal was the same as always: grilled fish, a small side dish, and miso soup.
The owner's wife always serves me a large portion, laughing and saying, "You won't have any energy if you don't eat plenty."

But today, for some reason, I feel like it has no taste.

During the busy lunch hour.
I messed up again.

Not only did I get the order wrong, but I also dropped and broke a customer's bowl.
The wife smiled and said, "Don't worry about it," but
my heart still feels heavy.

——I'm always causing trouble for everyone.

The hand holding my chopsticks stopped on its own.
I've been sighing over and over without even realizing it.

I wonder when it started.
The moment I began thinking, "I'm just..."

After graduating from high school, I went to a fashion vocational school in Fukuoka.
I'd always liked drawing, and I admired design.

But everyone in the classroom was a bundle of talent.
Their ideas, their sense of color, the speed of their sketching.

Whatever I did, I was just "average."
The teacher would just smile and say, "I'd like to see a bit more creativity."

——It's impossible for me.

Once I thought that, I became afraid to go to class.
I skipped lessons and spent my time alone in my apartment, just killing time.

I lied to my parents, telling them, "My studies are going well."

But such lies don't last long.
When I decided to drop out and told my mother over the phone, there was a silence for a while.

"...Do whatever you like, Chinatsu."

Her words were kind, but
I could picture the look of disappointment on her face.

I stayed in Fukuoka and worked part-time jobs. Cafes, izakayas, convenience stores.
None of them lasted long.

——No matter where I am, I'm always half-hearted.

In the end, I returned to my parents' home.

My parents didn't say anything, but I felt like the temperature of their gaze had changed.

That was when I happened to see "Maruha."
When I was little, whenever my mother, who ran a general store, was busy,
it was the diner I often went to for lunch.
The unchanging storefront, the kind owner and his wife.

"Chinatsu-chan, would you like to try working part-time?"

With those words, before I knew it, three years had passed.
I had intended to quit this place someday, too.
But there is nowhere left to run.

—The truth is, I want to run away, but I can't go anywhere.

Still holding my chopsticks, I let out a sigh.

At that moment, I felt a gaze.

"…Hmm?"

Looking down at my feet, there was a white and brown calico cat.
It was staring right at me.

"…Do you want some food, too?"

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

The cat said nothing, but it gave its tail a soft flick.

"…Well, fine. You'll get fat, and I'm just going to leave it anyway."

I used my chopsticks to set aside a little bit of rice.
The cat slowly approached and began to nibble at it.

—My, what a good appetite you have.

As I watched it, the heaviness in my chest strangely began to ease.

The cat just ate in silence.
Just watching it made me feel a sense of relief.

"…I messed up again, but… well, I guess it's fine."

I was surprised by my own words.
I had been so down just a moment ago.

When the cat finished eating, it flicked its tail softly and stood up.

"…Come back again, okay?"

Those words had come out unconsciously.

The cat turns around, blinks slowly, and starts walking away.

—Thank you.

I whispered softly and picked up my chopsticks once more.

The rice was still nice and warm.

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

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

• Episode 4: "I'll Be Waiting" / "Scent of the Wind, 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 Understanding"

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

• Episode 9: "A Night When I Can't Say 'I'm Home'" / "Will I Be Able to Become a Proper 'Father'?"

• Episode 10: "The Voice of Fish, My Father's Back, and 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 I Return to Myself"

• Episode 14: "Before the Sound Fully Rings Out" / "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 Curtain" / "Bun-chan, this place isn't finished 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 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. I have no proof, though." / "I didn't exactly go to see you—you wouldn't believe me if I said that, would you?"

• Episode 21: "Those at the Boundary" / "I Can Tell by the Scent Whether Someone is Leaving or Arriving"

• Episode 22: "Even If You Fall, Your Eyes Are Still 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" / "On the Slope, I Felt Two Winds Overlap"

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

• 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 Affection Remains Here"

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

• Episode 28: "Because That Hand Was Kind" / "Since the Day I Touched That Child, I Feel the Town Has Become a Little Warmer"

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

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

• Episode 31: "What Bun-chan Reminded Me Of" / "The Scent of Memories Rose Around the Wooden Box"

• Episode 32: "The Last Spring Bus and Bun-chan." / "The Scent of the Bus and the Rules of Spring"

• Episode 33: "Drinks, the night breeze, and Bun-chan." / "When the 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, a prayer, and the silence of spring." / "The scent of the river, a vow, and Bun-chan."

• Episode 38: "The scent of the tide, the words I conveyed, and Bun-chan." / "The wind that scoops up the tide and the sound of a prayer."

• Episode 39: "Thoughts swaying on the water's surface and Bun-chan again." / "The scent along the river and the shadow of a prayer."

• Episode 40: "The sound of being unraveled 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 Chips and Sighs" / "Playmates of Wood Chips"

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

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

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

• Episode 49: "Things That Cannot Be Put Into Words" / "Things Left Unsaid" / "I Was Just Here"

• 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"

Afterword

Thank you for picking up this book.
And I offer 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 the desire to depict the scenery of Sasebo—somewhat nostalgic yet undeniably changed—and the lives of the people there, as seen through my eyes now that I have "returned to live in this town," using the quiet lens of a "cat's perspective." as a medium.
The protagonist, Bun-chan, is a white and brown patched 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.
While that is all he is, he is a presence that is surely remembered as having "been here."
The title of this collection was chosen as a phrase that symbolizes Bun-chan's way of being, as well as 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 consulted on the plot with a light heart, wondering "what kind of stories might be born with a cat and a town as the setting," but before I knew it, it became a daily routine 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 shaping these themes into poetry at times and into stories at others through this 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 air that remains the same 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 Science) ⇒ Engineer at a metal materials manufacturer in the Chukyo region (Production Technology) ⇒ Advertising sales for a local free paper in Nagasaki Prefecture ⇒ Staff at an educational institution (← Now here). A person in their 50s living in Nagasaki Prefecture. Both children have graduated from university and left the nest, and I am currently living with my wife.
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 serialized column series "The Science of Thought." I am exploring "free knowledge design" that goes beyond 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 fall in love with something" and "scenes where questions sprout."
🧭 I would be happy if I could deliver articles that leave you with one "new perspective" after reading.
Feedback is always welcome!