The day the thoughts I released into the sky were received in a distant town.

I write words and draw pictures without knowing who will ever see them.
The long time it takes to complete a piece is always filled with hesitation, and I usually only feel relieved when I finally finish coloring late at night.

Then, I tie the work with my name on it to a balloon and release it into the sky.

🎈 ) )

Wanting to exhibit at the bookmark exhibition at 'Tohon,' a bookstore in Nara Prefecture, I created bookmarks for the first time this winter.
Deciding on the title 'Night, Books, and Stars,' the days spent turning my ideas into realitywere truly heart-fluttering.

The day before the deadline, the bookmarks featuring bears and stars arrived safely at the shop in Nara.
I breathed a sigh of relief, but that was short-lived; I soon felt anxious, wondering if anyone would actually buy them, or if they would just end up as bookmarks left sunbathing on the corner of the bookstore's display table.

Then, one day, Natsuki-san's article appeared on my white screen, sparkling like a shooting star.

According to the article, she visited the shop on the first day of the bookmark exhibition and, to my surprise, welcomed the bear bookmark into her home.

In the sunlight that felt like plum blossoms blooming, the books and bookmarks lined up in the 'Tohon' bookstore, the gentle atmosphere enveloping them, and the playing of Spitz songs—the scene of the place I had wanted to visit spread out before my eyes just by reading it.

Natsuki-san also welcomed a small book onthe day the ZINE collection was released,and she always watches over the pictures and words of the bear muffins.

The 'warmth and suppleness' she conveyed to me was undoubtedly exactly what I had been trying to put into my work, even while feeling uncertain and unsteady.
And knowing that she had truly received it made me feel as though my invisible thoughts had taken shape, and I felt so wrapped in an unprecedented warmth that I could have cried.

Before heading to the Bookmark Exhibition, Natsuki-san offered words as warm as a blanket to the bear on the cover, Kumanimaru.

I want to be kind.
Even if I am hurt, I do not want to be the one who hurts others.
Kindness must surely be soft and pleasant to the touch.
Soft things are easily broken, but I don't think kindness is like that.
Because I have learned by now how much strength is required to convey kindness.

Sleeping in a warm bed, drawing pictures, and reading many books.
Listening to music, being moved by a performance, and giving applause without reservation.
From Natsuki-san's gentle writing, the preciousness of daily life that cannot be taken for granted comes through.

Looking back, I have been reading Natsuki-san's note for a long time, and I remember that the first time I commented was on the article"If I Were to Open a Bookstore".
That bookstore in the article, which also has a tearoom and changes the color of its book covers with the seasons, has a relaxed time flowing through it that feels similar to the atmosphere of Tohon-san.

I think many people know Natsuki-san's writing, but she doesn't just use broad and easy-to-understand words like 'pretty' or 'beautiful'; she always carefully searches for words that reproduce her own sensations and weaves her writing with great care.

Whether introducing books or finding cute stationery or shops, it is as if she puts her thoughts into the flow of her sensibility, which is like cold, clear water, scooping and releasing, scooping and releasing, quietly catching even the gold and silver glimmers and shadows of words that may not be visible to anyone else with her fingers.

Natsuki-san, who is like an aspiring author to me, cherishes my bears.
That gives me the courage to try and release my work into the sky again without a destination.

I hope this letter of gratitude also reaches far away.
With all my heart 🧸🔖