[Novel] I Was Here—The Cat Says Nothing, But Sasebo Knows the City Scenery (Episode 62: "Just Being in the Silence of the Archery Range" / "Looking Further Than the Target")

Side A: "Just Being in the Silence of the Archery Range"
—Bun-chan's perspective

I walked along, following the scent of the wind.
Today, mixed with the smell of the tide, there is a faint scent of dry grass and trees.

I stopped at the prefectural archery range in Nagiri.
Surrounded by a grove of cedar trees, it is a quiet, tense place where the afternoon sun shines in at an angle.
The smell of grass, the sound of the fabric of the archery uniform rubbing together, and the sign of a small tremor striking the heart.

He was there.
A boy, standing silently, holding a long bow.
His back is straight, and his eyes have a strong expression, but he is looking somewhere far away.

I sat quietly on the grass.
Sometimes, just "being" there is enough.

The boy's feet grip the ground firmly.
He straightens his back, takes the bow in his hand, and takes a deep breath.
Every movement is careful and powerful. But deep inside, there was a slightly grating sound.

The sound of being bound to something in the past.
The sign of something stuck deep in his chest that he cannot let go of.

He raises the bow high and slowly opens both arms.
The wind stops, and the air hardens. Time does not move either.

The arrow was released.

It was a quiet sound. But the silence that remained afterward made a much louder sound.

I stand up.
I felt like something had unraveled after that arrow.

There are things that can be conveyed just by "being" there.
There are no words, but that is fine.

I slowly left the archery range.
I do not look back. I feel the boy's eyes following my back.

I was here.
That alone is enough.

[End]

Side B: "Looking Further Than the Target"
—Shota Nakahara's perspective

The dry sound remains in my ears.
Another arrow missed the target.

Sasebo's prefectural archery range. The afternoon light shines in from the front, drawing long shadows on the floor of the archery range.
Shota silently grips the bow.

One week until the prefectural high school tournament.
The memory of missing with my final shot last year crosses my mind again and again. That momentary tremor still lingers deep in my arm.

“What if I miss again?”
It’s not anyone else’s voice; it’s my own. That is what warps the tension of the string.

Ashibumi (Footing).
I stand slightly wider than shoulder-width and lower my center of gravity. The feel of the ground travels to the soles of my feet.

Dozukuri (Posture).
I straighten my back and release the tension in my shoulders. My shoulder blades sink slowly, and my breathing calms.
—But my heart still won't settle.

Yugamae (Readying the bow).
Bow in my left hand, arrow in my right. I slide the arrow onto the string and open my shoulders.

Uchiokoshi (Raising the bow).
I lift the bow high and fix my gaze on the target. That was when I saw a small shadow in the corner of my vision.

Bun-chan.
At the edge of the archery range, on the grass, a white and brown calico cat was just sitting there.

It says nothing. It just watches intently.
It was a look that seemed to see right through to the very depths of me.

Hikiwake (Drawing the bow).
As if chased by that gaze, Shota slowly pulled both arms to the sides. It felt as if the arrow were pulling out something from deep within my chest.

Kai (The full draw).
The bow is fully drawn, and time stops.
I feel pained, as if my heart has been seen through.

“I must hit it.”
That thought made me hesitate to release.

But Bun-chan doesn't move. It’s as if it’s saying, “Release it.”
There are no words. But it comes across. —Let go. You have already drawn enough.

Shota released.
—No, it released naturally.

Hanare (The release).
The arrow tears through the sky, and the sound of it cutting the wind flashes for an instant.
In that moment, I felt as if the thing tangled deep in my chest had suddenly come undone.

Zanshin (Remaining mind/follow-through).
In that same posture, only my breath flows quietly. I didn't even look to see where the arrow flew.

Bun-chan stands up and leaves the archery range.
Without looking back, just quietly.

Shota thought.
“I see. Once you release the arrow, there’s nothing more you can do.”
I should have just let go of the hand that was trying to grasp the result.

I was looking further than the target.
In truth, I hadn't been looking at myself at all.

Because I was here.
Just that alone made the weight in my heart feel suddenly lighter.

[End]

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• 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'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 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'

• Episode 13: '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 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.' / 'A voiceless voice, I can hear it clearly'

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

• Episode 20: 'A Light Ignites Between the Two' / 'I Thought You'd Come. Not that I have any proof' / 'I didn't exactly go to see you—though you probably won't believe me'

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

• 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' / 'There Is a Heart Beyond the Sound'

• 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 two winds overlap'

• Episode 25: 'Today, I didn't hear the sound of the broom' / 'When he was silent, I felt the garden grow 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: 'Someone was definitely here, you know' / 'They were here, you know'

• Episode 28: 'Because those hands were gentle' / '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 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 in 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 Conveyed, and Bun-chan' / 'The Wind Scooping the Tide, and the Sound of Prayer'

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

• 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' / '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 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 Hairball' / 'Shadows of Steel Beams, a Quiet Nap'

• Episode 49: 'Things I Can't Put Into Words' / 'Things I Want to Say, But Don't' / '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 Wind and a Warm Scent' / 'At the Twilight Back Door'

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

• Episode 54: 'Just Raising Your Voice Isn't Enough to Convey It' / 'Beside the Stopped Feet'

• Episode 55: 'The Feeling That Wants to Bloom Is Still Here' / 'The Wind Carries the Sound of Wanting 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' / 'One More Bouquet'

• Episode 58: 'A Gaze Found at the Morning Back Door' / 'Memories Overlapping at the Morning Back Door' / '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 Across the Sea' / 'Just Like That Cat Remembered' / 'I Remember, So I Am Quietly Here'

• Episode 61: 'Pride in the Sunshine' / 'I Won't Give Up This Warm Spot'

• Episode 62: 'Just Being in the Silence of the Archery Range' / 'Looking Further Than the Target'

Afterword

Thank you for picking up this book. And I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for walking through the town of Sasebo with Bun-chan and me 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 lives of the people who live there, as seen through my eyes now that I have 'come back 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 by their side, 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 short story 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 started by consulting about 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, my days were spent
carefully exploring the rhythm 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 the town that disappear without being told'—I feel that shaping these themes into something that is 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 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
The Author

Profile | Kazuomi Matsunaga

🧭Thinking Navigator

Biography: Graduated from Kyushu University, Faculty of Engineering (Materials Science) ⇒ Engineer at a metal materials manufacturer in Aichi (Production Engineering) ⇒ 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 currently living with my wife. I am a writer who lets my thoughts play 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, centering on the serial column 'Science of Thought' series. I am exploring 'free knowledge design' that goes beyond existing frameworks. My motto is 'Imagination opens up the world.'
While working in university and education-related fields, I value carefully observing the moments when 'people start 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. Comments are also very welcome!