[Novel] I was here—The cat says nothing, but Sasebo knows the scenery of the town (Episode 18 "I didn’t say it out loud, but you heard me." / "I can hear your voiceless voice just fine")

Side B: "I didn’t say it out loud, but you heard me."
—A girl who just came to Sasebo, and an afternoon with Bun-chan

　I like Japan.
　I really do.

　But—I tried to say "I like it," but I got stuck.
　The Japanese words were faster than what I read in my textbook,
　and I still don't quite understand when everyone laughs.

　We moved here as a family at the beginning of summer,
　to Sasebo, where Daddy's ship was assigned.
　I was so happy to be able to come to Japan,
　that I practiced both hiragana and katakana with Mom.

　But the words everyone spoke in the classroom
　felt just a little bit distant to me.

　After school, I put my school bag on a park bench
　and let out a sigh.
　The sky was wide, the breeze felt good,
　but deep inside my chest, it hurt a little.

　"I wish someone could just… understand."

　Just then.
　Right beside me, I felt a small presence.

　It was a cat.
　A cat with soft white and brown fur.

　Before I knew it, it was sitting neatly right next to my school bag.

　I was a little surprised,
　but for some reason, I wasn't scared.

"Hi...?"

The cat didn't say meow.
But it looked straight at me,
then it quietly approached and circled around my feet.

I smiled.
Not out loud, but in my heart.

"You're not scared of me? Even if I talk funny?"

The cat sat quietly and blinked slowly.
It was as if it were saying, "Yeah, it's okay."

I took my Japanese notebook, which I had just received at school, out of my backpack.
I wrote "Thank you" and tried showing it to the cat.

As if it had read it,
the cat gently placed its front paw on the notebook.
A front paw like a tiny hamburger bun.

I laughed. This time, I actually said it out loud.

"I'll name you... Bun. From today on, you're my hero."

The cat walked away with its tail held high.
Watching its back as it walked away,
I felt like I had finally been able to say the Japanese word "suki" (love) in my heart.

I love this town.

[End]

Side A: "I can hear your voiceless voice just fine"
—Bun-chan and the girl from abroad

I am a cat. Bun-chan.
I am good at finding the "voiceless voices" mixed into the wind of Sasebo.

That day, I walked from the harbor, through the arcade, and across the pedestrian bridge,
and came to a slightly elevated park.

The sun was strong, but it was a day with a pleasant breeze.
Someone's sound of their heart about to overflow was mixed into the wind.

A little girl was sitting on a bench.
Her back was straight, but her eyes were on the ground.
Instead of a backpack, a red school bag was sitting neatly beside her.

I approached without making a sound.
Drawn by the slightly lonely scent of that girl.

The girl noticed me and whispered softly.

"Hi...?"

It was English.
But that doesn't matter to me.
I can't hear human words, but I can understand the scent of their heart just fine.

I slowly approached and circled around her feet.
Then, the corners of her mouth relaxed just a little.

"You're not scared of me? Even if I talk funny?"

I blinked and answered.
"It's okay. I can already hear your voice."

The girl took a notebook out of her school bag and
carefully wrote one word with her pencil.

"Thank you"

I gently placed my front paw on top of the notebook.
The paper felt a bit smooth and smelled slightly of lead.

She laughed.
She laughed out loud.

It was a genuine laugh that had spilled out from the bottom of her heart.

"I'll name you... Bun-chan. From today, you're my hero."

—A hero, me? I'm just a cat.

But I held my tail straight up and started walking.
Since that girl was now able to let her voice out,
my "job" was done for today.

People stumble over words.
But the voice of the heart is stronger than words.

That child's voice reached me right here.
That is enough for me.

[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 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 Father’s Back, 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”

• Chapter 13: "Waiting at the exit of the night" / "The few minutes I return to myself"

• Chapter 14: "Before the sound that hasn't rung yet" / "I'm sorry. But, thank you" / "Is staying behind the same as running away?"

• Chapter 15: "Beside the one who prays in silence" / "The prayer of the one who prays"

• Chapter 16: "Before the silence turns into sweat" / "You're here today too, Bun-chan"

• Chapter 17: "The reason for lifting the noren curtain" / "Bun-chan, it's not over here yet"

• Chapter 18: "I didn’t say it out loud, but you heard me." / "I can hear your voiceless voice just fine, you know"

• Chapter 19: "The winner who doesn't sing and the clown who doesn't laugh" / "The distance seen from above, the scent reaching from below"

• Chapter 20: "A light ignites between the two" / "I thought you'd come. Even if I have no proof" / "I didn't go to see you, specifically—you wouldn't believe me if I said that, though"

• Chapter 21: "The one on the boundary" / "I can tell by the scent whether you're leaving or arriving"

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

• Chapter 23: "Even on days when there's no sound, there's someone who can hear it" / "There is a heart beyond the sound"

• Chapter 24: "The sound that unravels is not in the voice, but in the depths of the eyes" / "Mom, the cat, and the stranger"

• Chapter 25: "Today, there was no sound of a broom" / "When he was silent, I felt the garden grew a little wider"

• Chapter 26: "Even if you can't hear the bell, the wind is still blowing" / "Even if the bell doesn't ring, the scent of feelings remains here"

• Chapter 27: "Someone was certainly here, you know" / "Because they were here"

• Chapter 28: "Because those hands were kind"

• Chapter 29: "The scent of dried nets and the kindness of silence" / "Even if you don't say anything, there are things that are understood"

• Chapter 30: "I'm glad you're a police 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 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 collection of short stories began with my desire to depict the somewhat nostalgic, yet certainly changed, scenery of Sasebo and the people living there, as seen through my eyes now that I have "returned to live in this town again," usingthe quiet lens of 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 by your side, he gently accepts the small fluctuations in your heart and the expressions you 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 short story 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, for the creation of this book,OpenAI's ChatGPTwas used as a creative partner.
At first, I consulted on the plot with a light heart, wondering, "What kind of stories would be born with a cat and a town as the setting?" but before I knew it, my days becamea process 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,” and “memories of the town that disappear without being told”—
I feel that being able to give shape to such themes through collaboration with ChatGPT, sometimes like poetry and sometimes as a story, was an essential process for this work.
Sasebo is a town of hills and harbors.
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 into your heart as one of those memories.
Spring 2025
From the town of Sasebo
The Author

Profile | Kazuomi Matsunaga

Biography:Graduated from a national university engineering department 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 => Staff member at an educational institution (<- Now 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 serialized column series "The Science of Thought." I am exploring "free knowledge design" 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 come to 'like' something" and "the scenes where questions sprout."
🧭 I would be happy if I could deliver articles that leave you with a "new perspective" after reading them.
Feedback is also very welcome!