鮨 Sushi, part 5: A Chance Meeting on the Main Street

「なかなか世話せわ女房にょうぼうだぞ、ともちゃんは」"Tomo-chan makes a fine attentive little wife, doesn't she?"

相手あいての客きゃくがそういう位くらいでその場ばはそれなりになる。The other customer would say something like that, and the matter would be left there.

湊みなとも苦笑くしょうしながら相手あいての客きゃくに一礼いちれいして自分じぶんの席せきに向むき直なおり、重おもたい湯呑ゆのみ茶碗ちゃわんに手てをかける。Minato, smiling wryly too, would give the man a small bow, turn back to his own seat, and reach for his heavy teacup.

ともよは湊みなとのことが、だんだん妙みょうな気きがかりになり、却かえって、そしらぬ顔かおをして黙だまっていることもある。Little by little Minato became a strange worry on Tomoyo's mind, and so, perversely, there were times when she put on an air of indifference and said nothing.

湊みなとがはいって来くると、つんと済すまして立たって行いって仕舞しまうこともある。Sometimes, when Minato came in, she would stiffen, look aloof, and get up and leave.

湊みなともそういう素振すぶりをされて、却かえって明あかるく薄笑うすわらいするときもあるが、全然ぜんぜん、ともよの姿すがたの見みえぬときは物寂ものさびしそうに、いつもより一いっそう、表通おもてどおりや裏うらの谷合たにあいの景色けしきを深々ふかぶかと眺ながめる。Treated this way, Minato would sometimes, oddly enough, give a bright little smile; but when Tomoyo was nowhere to be seen at all, he looked lonely and gazed even more deeply than usual at the main street and at the view of the valley behind.

ある日ひ、ともよは、籠かごをもって、表通おもてどおりの虫屋むしやへ河鹿かじかを買かいに行いった。One day Tomoyo took a cage and went to the insect shop on the main street to buy some singing frogs.

ともよの父親ちちおやは、こういう飼かいものに凝こる性分しょうぶんで、飼かい方かたもうまかったが、ときどきは失敗しっぱいして数かずを減へらした。Her father was the sort of man who threw himself into keeping creatures like these, and he was good at it, but every so often something went wrong and their numbers dwindled.

が今年ことしももはや初夏しょかの季節きせつで、河鹿かじかなど涼すずしそうに鳴なかせる時分じぶんだ。But this year, too, it was already early summer, the season for letting singing frogs fill the air with their cool songs.

ともよは、表通おもてどおりの目的もくてきの店みせ近ちかく来くると、その店みせから湊みなとが硝子がらす鉢ばちを下さげて出でて行いく姿すがたを見みた。As Tomoyo drew near the shop she was heading for on the main street, she saw Minato coming out of it carrying a glass bowl.

湊みなとはともよに気きがつかないで硝子がらす鉢ばちをいたわり乍ながら、むこう向むきにそろそろ歩あるいていた。Minato did not notice Tomoyo; cradling the glass bowl carefully, he was walking slowly away from her.

ともよは、店みせへ入はいって手てばやく店みせのものに自分じぶんの買かうものを注文ちゅうもんして、籠かごにそれを入いれて貰もらう間あいだ、店先みせさきへ出でて、湊みなとの行ゆく手てに気きをつけていた。Tomoyo went into the shop, quickly told the shop assistant what she wanted, and while it was being put into her cage she stepped out to the shopfront and kept an eye on where Minato was going.

河鹿かじかを籠かごに入いれて貰もらうと、ともよはそれを持もって、急いそいで湊みなとに追おいついた。Once the frogs were in the cage, Tomoyo took it and hurried after Minato until she caught up with him.

「先生せんせいってば」"Sensei! Hey, Sensei!"

「ほう、ともちゃんか、珍めずらしいな、表おもてで逢あうなんて」"Well, if it isn't Tomo-chan. What a surprise, running into you out here."

二人ふたりは、歩あるきながら、互たがいの買かいものを見みせ合あった。As they walked, the two of them showed each other what they had bought.

湊みなとは西洋せいようの観賞魚かんしょうぎょの髑髏魚ゴーストフィッシュを買かっていた。Minato had bought a ghost fish, a Western ornamental fish.

それは骨ほねが寒天かんてんのような肉にくに透すき通とおって、腸はらわたが鰓えらの下したに小ちいさくこみ上あがっていた。Its bones showed through flesh like agar jelly, and its innards were bunched up small beneath its gills.

「先生せんせいのおうち、この近所きんじょ」"Do you live near here, Sensei?"

「いまは、この先さきのアパートにいる。だが、いつ越こすかわからないよ」"For now I'm in an apartment just up ahead. But there's no telling when I'll move."

湊みなとは珍めずらしく表おもてで逢あったからともよにお茶ちゃでも御馳走ごちそうしようといって町筋まちすじをすこし物色ぶっしょくしたが、この辺へんには思おもわしい店みせもなかった。Since they had met outside for once, Minato said he would treat Tomoyo to tea or something, and he looked around the streets a little, but there was no suitable place in the area.

「まさか、こんなものを下さげて銀座ぎんざへも出でかけられんし」"I can hardly go all the way to Ginza carrying a thing like this."

「ううん、銀座ぎんざなんかへ行いかなくっても、どこかその辺へんの空地くうちで休やすんで行いきましょうよ」"No, we don't need to go to Ginza or anywhere like that. Let's just rest for a bit in some empty lot around here."

湊みなとは今更いまさらのように漲みなぎり亘わたる新樹しんじゅの季節きせつを見廻みまわし、ふうっと息いきを空そらに吹ふいてMinato looked around at the season of fresh green leaves brimming everywhere as if seeing it for the first time, blew a long breath up at the sky, and said,

「それも、いいな」"That would be nice too."

表通おもてどおりを曲まがると間まもなく崖端がけはなに病院びょういんの焼跡やけあとの空地くうちがあって、煉瓦塀れんがべいの一いち側がわがローマの古跡こせきのように見みえる。Soon after turning off the main street, there was an empty lot on the edge of a cliff where a hospital had burned down, and one side of its brick wall looked like ancient ruins in Rome.

ともよと湊みなとは持もちものを叢くさむらの上うえに置おき、足あしを投なげ出だした。Tomoyo and Minato set their things down in the grass and stretched out their legs.

ともよは、湊みなとになにかいろいろ訊きいてみたい気持きもちがあったのだが、いまこうして傍そばに並ならんでみると、そんな必要ひつようもなく、ただ、霧きりのような匂においにつつまれて、しんしんとするだけである。Tomoyo had felt she wanted to ask Minato all sorts of things, but now that she was sitting beside him like this, there seemed no need; she simply sat wrapped in a scent like mist, everything deeply still.

湊みなとの方ほうが却かえって弾はずんでいてIt was Minato, if anything, who was in high spirits.

「今日きょうは、ともちゃんが、すっかり大人おとなに見みえるね」"You look quite grown-up today, Tomo-chan."

などと機嫌きげん好よさように云いう。he said, or words to that effect, sounding cheerful.

ともよは何なにを云いおうかと暫しばらく考かんがえていたが、大たいしたおもいつきでも無ないようなことを、とうとう云いい出だした。Tomoyo thought for a while about what to say, and at last came out with something that hardly seemed like much of an idea.

「あなた、お鮨すし、本当ほんとうにお好すきなの」"Do you really like sushi?"

「さあ」"Well, now..."

「じゃ何故なぜ来きて食たべるの」"Then why do you come and eat it?"

「好すきでないことはないさ、けど、さほど喰たべたくない時ときでも、鮨すしを喰たべるということが僕ぼくの慰なぐさみになるんだよ」"It's not that I don't like it. But even when I don't particularly feel like it, the act of eating sushi is a comfort to me."

「なぜ」"Why?"

何故なぜ、湊みなとが、さほど鮨すしを喰たべたくない時ときでも鮨すしを喰たべるというその事ことだけが湊みなとの慰なぐさめとなるかを話はなし出だした。He began to explain why, even when he did not especially want sushi, simply eating it was a comfort to him.

――旧ふるくなって潰つぶれるような家いえには妙みょうな子供こどもが生うまれるというものか、大おおきな家いえの潰つぶれるときというものは、大人おとなより子供こどもにその脅おびえが予感よかんされるというものか、それが激はげしく来くると、子こは母ははの胎内たいないにいるときから、そんな脅おびえに命いのちを蝕むしばまれているのかもしれないね――というような言葉ことばを冒頭ぼうとうに湊みなとは語かたり出だした。"Perhaps strange children are born into houses that have grown old and are about to collapse; perhaps, when a great house is about to fall, children sense the dread of it before the adults do; and when it comes on strongly, perhaps a child's very life is being eaten away by that dread even while it is still in its mother's womb" — with words like these Minato began his story.