鮨 Sushi, part 2: Father's Secret Snack and a Quiet Household

「何なんだ、何なんだ」"What is it? What is it?"

好奇こうきの顔かおが四方しほうから覗のぞき込こむ。Curious faces leaned in from all sides to look.

「まあ、やってご覧らん、あたしの寝酒ねざけの肴さかなさ」"Go on, try some. It's what I have with my drink before bed."

亭主ていしゅは客きゃくに友達ともだちのような口くちをきく。The owner spoke to his customers as if they were his friends.

「こはだにしちゃ味あじが濃こいし――」"The flavour's too rich for gizzard shad—"

ひとつ撮つまんだのがいう。said one man who had picked up a piece.

「鯵あじかしらん」"Horse mackerel, maybe?"

すると、畳敷たたみじきの方ほうの柱はしらの根ねに横坐よこずわりにして見みていた内儀おかみさん――ともよの母親ははおや――が、は　は　は　は　と太ふとり肉じしを揺ゆすって「みんなおとッつあんに一いっぱい喰くった」と笑わらった。Then the owner's wife, Tomoyo's mother, who had been watching while sitting with her legs folded to one side at the foot of a pillar in the tatami-floored part of the shop, laughed "Ha ha ha ha," her plump body shaking, and said, "Dad's put one over on the lot of you."

それは塩しおさんまを使つかった押おし鮨ずしで、おからを使つかって程ほどよく塩しおと脂あぶらを抜ぬいて、押おし鮨ずしにしたのであった。It was pressed sushi made from salted saury. He had used okara to draw out just the right amount of salt and oil, and then pressed the fish into sushi.

「おとっさん狡ずるいぜ、ひとりでこっそりこんな旨うまいものを拵こしらえて食くうなんて――」That's sly of you, Pop, making something this tasty on the quiet and eating it all by yourself—

「へえ、さんまも、こうして食くうとまるで違ちがうね」"Well, well, even saury tastes completely different done like this."

客きゃくたちのこんな話はなしが一ひとしきりがやがや渦うずまく。For a while the customers' chatter swirled noisily along these lines.

「なにしろあたしたちは、銭ぜにのかかる贅沢ぜいたくはできないからね」"After all, people like us can't afford luxuries that cost money."

「おとっさん、なぜこれを、店みせに出ださないんだ」Pop, why don't you sell this in the shop?

「冗談じょうだんいっちゃ、いけない、これを出だした日ひにゃ、他ほかの鮨すしが蹴押けおされて売うれなくなっちまわ。第だい一いち、さんまじゃ、いくらも値段ねだんがとれないからね」"Don't be silly. If I put this out, it'd outshine the other sushi and they'd stop selling. Besides, with saury I couldn't charge much for it anyway."

「おとッつあん、なかなか商売しょうばいを知しっている」"The old man really knows his business."

その他ほか、鮨すしの材料ざいりょうを採とったあとの鰹かつおの中落なかおちだの、鮑あわびの腸はらわただの、鯛たいの白子しらこだのを巧たくみに調理ちょうりしたものが、ときどき常連じょうれんにだけ突出つきだされた。Besides this, now and then dishes skilfully made from things like the meat left on a bonito's backbone after the sushi cuts had been taken, abalone innards, or sea-bream milt were brought out for the regulars alone.

ともよはそれを見みて「飽あきあきする、あんなまずいもの」と顔かおを皺しかめた。Seeing them, Tomoyo screwed up her face and said, "I'm sick to death of those. Horrible stuff."

だが、それらは常連じょうれんから呉くれといってもなかなか出ださないで、思おもわぬときにひょっこり出だす。Yet even when the regulars asked for them, he was slow to bring them out, and then he would suddenly produce them when no one expected it.

亭主ていしゅはこのことにかけてだけいこじでむら気きなのを知しっているので決けっしてねだらない。Knowing that in this one matter the owner was stubborn and moody, they never pestered him.

よほど欲ほしいときは、娘むすめのともよにこっそり頼たのむ。When they wanted something badly, they would quietly ask his daughter Tomoyo.

するとともよは面倒臭めんどうくさそうに探さがし出だして与あたえる。Then Tomoyo, looking as though it were a great bother, would hunt it out and give it to them.

ともよは幼おさない時ときから、こういう男おとこ達たちは見みなれて、その男おとこたちを通とおして世よの中なかを頃ころあいでこだわらない、いささか稚気ちきのあるものに感かんじて来きていた。Tomoyo had been used to men like these since she was small, and through them she had come to feel that the world was an easygoing place that did not fuss over things, and a little childish.

女おんな学校がっこう時代じだいに、鮨すし屋やの娘むすめということが、いくらか恥はじられて、家いえの出入でいりの際さいには、できるだけ友達ともだちを近ちかづけないことにしていた苦労くろうのようなものがあって、孤独こどくな感かんじはあったが、ある程度ていどまでの孤独感こどくかんは、家いえの中なかの父母ふぼの間柄あいだがらからも染しみつけられていた。In her girls' school days she had been somewhat ashamed of being the daughter of a sushi shop, and had gone to some trouble to keep her friends away as much as possible whenever she came and went from home. There had been a sense of loneliness in that, but a certain degree of loneliness had already been instilled in her by the relationship between her parents at home.

父ちちと母ははと喧嘩けんかをするような事ことはなかったが、気持きもちはめいめい独立どくりつしていた。Her father and mother never quarrelled, but each of them kept their feelings to themselves.

ただ生いきて行いくことの必要ひつよう上じょうから、事務的じむてきよりも、もう少すこし本能ほんのうに喰くい込こんだ協調きょうちょうやらいたわり方かたを暗黙あんもくのうちに交換こうかんして、それが反射的はんしゃてきにまで発育はついくしているので、世間せけんからは無口むくちで比較的ひかくてき仲なかのよい夫婦ふうふにも見みえた。Simply because it was necessary for getting on with life, they silently exchanged a kind of cooperation and care that went somewhat deeper into instinct than mere business, and as this had grown until it was almost reflex, to the outside world they looked like a quiet and fairly harmonious couple.

父親ちちおやは、どこか下町したまちのビルヂングに支店してんを出だすことに熱意ねついを持もちながら、小鳥ことりを飼かうのを道楽どうらくにしていた。Her father, while eager to open a branch in some building downtown, kept small birds as his hobby.

母親ははおやは、物見遊山ものみゆさんにも行いかず、着きものも買かわない代かわりに月々つきづきの店みせの売上うりあげ額がくから、自分じぶんだけの月つきがけ貯金ちょきんをしていた。Her mother went on no pleasure trips and bought no clothes; instead, out of the shop's monthly takings she put money each month into savings of her own.

両親りょうしんは、娘むすめのことについてだけは一致いっちしたものがあった。Only on the subject of their daughter were the parents of one mind.

とにかく教育きょういくだけはしとかなくてはということだった。Whatever else happened, she had to be given an education.

まわりに浸々ひたひたと押おし寄よせて来くる、知識ちしき的てきな空気くうきに対たいして、この点てんでは両親りょうしんは期きせずして一致いっちして社会しゃかいへの競争きょうそう的てきなものは持もっていた。On this point, against the educated atmosphere that came lapping steadily in all around them, the parents, without ever discussing it, shared a certain spirit of competition with society.

「自分じぶんは職人しょくにんだったからせめて娘むすめは」I was a craftsman, so at least my daughter...

と――だが、それから先さきをどうするかは、全まったく茫然ぼうぜんとしていた。they thought—but what to do beyond that, they had no idea at all.

無邪気むじゃきに育そだてられ、表面ひょうめんだけだが世事せじに通つうじ、軽快けいかいでそして孤独こどく的てきなものを持もっている。Brought up innocently, familiar with the ways of the world, if only on the surface, light-hearted, and with something solitary about her.

これがともよの性格せいかくだった。That was Tomoyo's character.

こういう娘むすめを誰だれも目めの敵かたきにしたり邪魔じゃまにするものはない。No one would treat a girl like this as an enemy or find her a nuisance.

ただ男おとこに対たいしてだけは、ずばずば応対おうたいして女おんなの子こらしい羞はじらいも、作為さくいの態度たいどもないので、一時いちじ女学校じょがっこうの教員きょういんの間まで問題もんだいになったが、商売柄しょうばいがら、自然しぜん、そういう女おんなの子こになったのだと判わかって、いつの間あいだにか疑うたがいは消きえた。Only with men did she deal bluntly, without a girl's expected bashfulness or any put-on manner, so for a time it became an issue among the teachers at her girls' school; but once they understood that, given her family's trade, she had naturally turned into that kind of girl, their doubts faded away before anyone noticed.