The Cat That Leaps Through Time: All 10 Episodes — Only the Cat Knows the Gaps in Time
On the slope, there is a gray-and-white cat.
Ryota, pushing his bicycle uphill, one day notices the cat getting ahead of him. His chain comes off, and when he looks up, an unfamiliar town from the past spreads out before him.
People holding on to dreams they were about to give up on. A rival who transferred schools. And himself from one year ago.
The cat says nothing. But each time he climbs the slope, Ryota's time, which had stopped, begins to move forward little by little.
A series of ten inte
The Cat That Leaps Through Time: All 10 Episodes — Only the Cat Knows the Gaps in Time - Repair: It Wasn't Just the Bell That Got Fixed
Tatsuya's reply came two days later.
"Is that cat still there?"
That was all. Ryohta read it over and over, and in the end just replied "It's there." He didn't know what else to write.
The bell was still sitting on his desk. It was rusted—it made a sound, but the axle was stiff. Ryohta took it and went to Sakashita Cycle.
"Can you fix this?"
Sakashita looked at the bell in Ryohta's hand and was silent for a while.
"This is old. They don't make parts for these anymore."
"It doesn't have to be perfect. I just need it to ring."
Sakashita took the bell and set it on the workbench. He oiled it and turned the axle. Chirin—a small sound rang out.
"Will this do?"
"Yes."
The moment Ryohta said that, the smell of the shop changed. The scent of oil grew stronger, and from the back, the sound of a radio drifted in.
***
The inside of the shop was smaller than it was now. The bicycles lined up on the shelves were older models. Standing at the workbench was Sakashita—a younger Sakashita.
"You came again?"
Sakashita said, turning around. Ryohta nodded silently.
"You're here to ask about my old man, right? Sorry, but he's not here anymore."
Ryohta stayed quiet. He couldn't tell what time period Sakashita was talking about.
"I still haven't decided whether I'll take over the shop. What do you think?"
"I wouldn't know, even if you ask me."
"Yeah, I figured."
Sakashita opened the drawer of the workbench and took out an old bell. It was the same model as the one Ryohta had brought.
"This is the last one my old man was repairing. The customer never came to pick it up."
"Whose is it?"
"Beats me. No name on it either."
Sakashita placed the bell in the corner of a shelf.
"Maybe they'll come get it someday, maybe they won't. For now, I figured I'd just leave it here."
The sound of the radio faded away. The smell of oil, too, had grown faint before he knew it.
***
Ryohta was standing inside Sakashita Cycle. The present-day Sakashita was holding out the bell he'd finished repairing.
"Here, it's fixed. Not perfect, though."
Ryohta took the bell. When he gave it a light shake, it rang more clearly than before.
"Sakashita-san, do you have an old bell in the back of the shop? One where nobody knows whose it is."
Sakashita stopped his hands and looked at Ryohta.
"How do you know about that?"
Ryohta didn't answer. Sakashita glanced at the corner of the shelf and opened a drawer. From inside came an old bell. The pattern of rust was very similar to the one Ryohta held.
"This is the last one my old man fixed. The customer never came to get it."
Sakashita picked up the bell and looked at it for a while.
"I should probably throw it out, but somehow I just can't."
Ryohta said nothing. Sakashita didn't say anything more either.
As he left the shop, Ryohta attached his bell to his bicycle. When he rang it, amid the rusty sound, a slightly clearer note was mixed in.
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