[Novel] I Was Here—The Cat Says Nothing, But Sasebo Knows the Town Scenery (Episode 45: "Wood Shavings and Sighs" / "Playmate of Wood Shavings")

Side A: "Wood Shavings and Sighs"
—From Bun-chan's perspective

The smell of iron and the scent of wood are mixed in the wind.
A street lined with town factories in Sasebo along the river.
Ironworks, paint shops, car repair shops.
It seems there used to be a navy factory around here.

In one corner of that area, there was a small woodworking shop.

I passed through its entrance and walked across the cool dirt floor.

Scrape, scrape, scratch, scratch.
The sound of wood being carved echoes quietly.

Beside the workbench, a young man was standing.
The small knife in his hand was clumsy.

"...It's crooked again..."

A small sigh escaped him.

I sat down where the wood shavings were scattered beside him.

The man glanced at me.
But his gaze immediately returned to the wood.

Scrape, scrape, scrape, scrape.
The sound of the knife carving the wood was somehow a bit awkward.

—It's not going well, is it?

I gently stretched my front paw toward the scattered round wood shavings.
The wood fragments swayed softly.

"...No good after all..."

The man put down the small knife, sighed, and sat on the workbench.

His eyes seemed to be looking at something far away.

I stood up quietly and approached the man's feet, gently rolling the wood shavings.

Roll, roll.
A small piece of wood rolls along.

The man suddenly noticed me.

"You... what are you doing?"

I glanced up at the man.
I placed my front paw on the wood shaving again and rolled it over.

The man's brow softened just a little.

"What is it... are you playing?"

I gave the wood shaving another little push.
Roll.

The man gave a small laugh.
That laugh was much lighter than his sigh from a moment ago.

I rolled the wood shaving again and slowly sat down at the man's feet.

The sound of wood being carved stopped, but the man watched me for a while.

"...Hah... well, I suppose it's time for a little break."

Saying that, the man laughed again.

I closed my eyes at his feet, gently swaying my tail.

The scent of wood reached my nose, carried on a gentle breeze.

——I was here, you see.

[End]

Side B: "The Wood Shaving's Playmate"
——From the young man's perspective

The scent of wood spreads through my nose.
I chose this path because I love this scent.

An old woodworking shop in this area where technical college students pass by on the main street and factory workshops line the road.
It has been one year since I became an apprentice to the master.
However, things are not going well.

My hand gripping the small knife is always awkward.

I shave too much, or it goes crooked.
"Hey, that again? You need to be more careful."

The master's voice stabs into my back.

"I'm sorry..."

My mouth apologizes, but my heart is feeling hazy.I've been practicing so many times, so why is this happening?

I sat on the workbench and let out a sigh.
The hand that put down the small knife is trembling slightly.

—At this rate, I'll never become a craftsman.

Just then, a wood shaving rolled over to my feet.

"Hmm?"

When I looked down, there was a white and brown spotted cat.

It was looking up at me intently.

"You, when did you..."

The cat placed its front paw on the wood shaving and rolled it over.

"What is it... are you playing?"

I muttered unintentionally.

The cat pushed the wood shaving again.Roll.

I couldn't help but laugh.

The master's voice stabs into my back.

How ridiculous... to laugh at something like this.
But, I felt like something deep in my chest had lightened a little.

Come to think of it, I feel like I heard about a cat named Bun-chan
while I was eating lunch
at the okonomiyaki shop out front.

The cat rolled the wood shaving once more and sat down quietly at my feet.

It closed its eyes peacefully, its tail swaying softly.

—What a carefree thing.

I let out a breath, just a little.

...Well, time for a little break.

The cat didn't move.
Its calm presence strangely gave me a sense of relief.

—Well, this should be fine.

I gripped the small knife again and gently placed the blade against the wood.

Scrape, scrape... This time, the sensation at my fingertips felt a little gentler.

The cat was watching me intently.
It felt like I was being laughed at.

Hey, don't just stare at me like that.

The cat opened its eyes for a second, but then closed them again.

I moved the knife again and gave a small laugh.

The wood shavings piled up little by little, and though the shape was still awkward, it was being carved properly.

Beside me, the cat was just there, quietly.

—I am not alone.

Suddenly, I felt that way.

[End]

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

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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: "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 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 Hand"

• Episode 9: "The Night I Couldn'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, 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 Scent of Distant Mountains Deep Within the Smell"

• Episode 13: "Waiting at the Exit of the Night" / "The Few Minutes It Takes to Return to Myself"

• Episode 14: "Before the Sound That Has Yet to Ring" / "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." / "I can hear your voiceless voice just fine, you know"

• Episode 19: "The Winner Who Does Not Cry Out and the Jester Who Does Not 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 proof, though." / "I didn't exactly go to see you—though you probably wouldn't believe me if I said that"

• Episode 21: "The One Who Exists on the Boundary" / "I can tell by the scent whether you're leaving or arriving"

• 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" / "There is a heart beyond the sound"

• Episode 24: "The sound of unraveling isn't in your voice, but deep in your eyes" / "Mom, the cat, and the stranger" / "Halfway up the slope, I felt two winds overlap"

• Episode 25: "Today, there was no sound of a broom" / "When he's silent, I feel like the garden gets 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" / "Because they were here"

• Episode 28: "Because those hands were kind" / "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 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 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, 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 Shadows of Prayer"

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

• Episode 41: "Damp Stone Pavement and a Gentle Voice" / "The Thank You I Couldn't Say"

• 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 Chips and Sighs" / "Wood Chips' Playmate"

Afterword

Thank you for picking up this book.
And I offer 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 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 changed, scenery of Sasebo and the lives of the people there, as seen through my eyes now that I am "living in this town again," through the quiet lens of a cat's perspective.
The protagonist, Bun-chan, is a white and brown patched cat.
He does not speak human language, but by simply being there, he gently catches 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 just being that, he is an existence that is surely remembered as having "been here."
The title of this collection was chosen 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, for the creation of this book, I have utilized OpenAI's ChatGPT as a creative partner.
At first, I consulted it about the plot with a light heart, wondering "what kind of stories might be born with a cat and a town as the stage," but before I knew it, it became a daily routine of carefully exploring the breath of the story and the lingering resonance of words through dialogue with the AI.
"A cat that doesn't speak," "people who don't want to talk," "memories of a 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 a truly indispensable process for this work.
Sasebo is a town of slopes and harbors.
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

🧭Thinking Navigator

Biography: Graduated from Kyushu University, Faculty of Engineering (Materials Engineering) => Engineer at a metal materials manufacturer in the Chukyo region (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.
I am a writer who lets 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, centering on the serial 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 main profession, while being involved in university and education-related work, I value carefully observing the moments when "people come to like something" and "scenes where questions sprout."
🧭 I would be happy if I could deliver articles that leave you with a "new perspective" after reading them.
Any feedback is welcome!