This 1989 Bungakukai Newcomer Award winner was later collected in Jizo-ki. It survives as a short work in award records and in the later collection.

The award-winning story lives on through a later collection.

A girl with aphasia gradually regains speech while living among neighbors and a cat-loving woman. The novel gently portrays memory and the fracture of family ties.

Surrounded by cats, the girl slowly regains her words.

Recorded as a 1989 candidate, but no standalone book publication could be confirmed. The work is best traced through award records and candidate lists.

Since no book edition could be confirmed, this is a work best traced through award records.