18TH SUNDAY

    Hayaku Me wa samashita ga, okitaku nai. To ga shimatte iru no de, Heya no naka wa usu-gurai. 11 ji made mo Toko no naka ni mozokusa shite ita ga, Sha ni ikô ka, ikumai ka to yû, tatta hitotsu no ondai wo mote-amashita. Ikô ka? Ikitaku nai. Ikumai ka? Iya, iya, sore de wa warui. Nan-to mo Ketsumatsu no tsukanu uchi ni Jochû ga mô Tonari no Heya made Sôji shite kita no de okita. Kao wo aratte kuru to, Toko wo agete dete yuku Otsune no Yatsu:
    "Sôji wa O-hiru sugi ni shite yaru kara, nê, iide shô?"
    "Âh." to Yo wa Kinuke shita yô na Koe de kotaeta."——shite yaru? Hm." to, kore wa Kokoro no uchi.
    Setsu-ko kara Hagaki ga kita. Kyô-ko ga chikagoro mata Karada no Guai ga yoku nai no de Isha ni miseru to, mata I-chô ga warui——shikamo Mansei da to itta to no koto. Yo ga inai no de Kokoro bosoi: Tegami ga hoshii to kaite aru.
    To ni kaku Sha ni yuku koto ni shita. Hitotsu wa Setsu-ko no Tegami wo mite Ki wo kaeta tame de mo aru ga, mata, 'Kyô mo yasunderu!' to Jochû-domo ni omowaretaku nakatta karada. 'Nâni, Iya ni nattara Tochû kara dokka e asobi ni ikô!' Sô omotte deta ga, yappari Densha ni noru to Kippu wo Sukiyabashi ni kirasete Sha ni itte shimatta.
    Mittsu guraino kaaii Onna no Ko ga notte ita. Kyô-ko no koto ga sugu Yo no Kokoro ni ukanda. setsu-ko wa Asa ni dete Yû-gata ni kaeru: sono ichi-nichi, semakurushii Uchi no naka wa Okkasan to Kyô-ko dake! Ah, ObIa-san to Mago! Yo wa sono ichi-nichi wo omôto, Me ga onozukara kasumu wo oboeta. Kodomo no Tanoshimi wa Kumino no hoka ni nai. Sono Tanchô na, usu-gurai Seikwatsu ni unda toki, Kyô-ko wa kitto nani ka tabe-tai to segamu de arô. Nani mo nai. "Obâ-san, nani ka, Obâ-san!" to Kyô-ko wa naku. Nan to sukashite mo kikanai. "Sore, sore......" to itte, ah, Takuan-zuke!
    Fu-shôkwa-butsu ga itaike na Kyô-ko no Kuchi kara Hara ni haitte, soshite yowai I ya Chô wo itamete iru sama ga Kokoro ni ukanda!
    Nise-byôki wo tsukatte 5 ka mo yasunda no da kara, yo wa ta-sho Shikii no takai yô na Kimochi de Sha ni haitta. Muron nan no Koto mo nakatta. Soshite, Koko ni kite isae sureba, tsumaranu Kangae-goto wo shinaku te mo ii yô de, nan da ka Anshin da. Dô-ji ni, nan no Keirui no nai——Jibun no toru Kane de Jibun hitori wo Shochi sureba yoi Hito tachi ga urayamashikatta.
    Shimbun Jigyô no Kyômi ga, Kôsei no Aima-aima ni Yo wo Shigeki shita. Yo wa Otaru ga Shôrai mottomo Yûbô na Tokwai na koto wo kangaeta; soshite, Otaru ni Shimbun wo okoshite, aran-kagiri no Kwatsudô wo shitara, donna ni Yukwai darô to omotta.
    Bôsô wa hate mo nai! Hakodate no Tsunami...... Kindaichi kun to tomo ni Kabafuto e yuku koto...... Russia-ryô no Hokubu-Kabafuto e itte, iro-iro no Kokuji-hannin ni au koto......
    Kaeri ni Oshi no Onna wo Densha no naka de mita. "Koishikawa" to Techô e kaite, sore wo Shashô ni shimeshite, Norikae-kippu wo moratte ita.
    Imôto——Oya-kyôdai ni wakarete, English-jin no Evance(?) to yû Hito to tomo ni Kongetsu Asahikawa e itta Mitsu-ko kara nagai Tegaim ga kite ita. "......Kono-goro wa Daibu Machi ni mo nare-mashite, shinogi-yasuku nari-mashita. De mo, kô, yawaraka na Haru-biyori wo Mado-goshi ni ukete nado orimasu to, doko mo omoidashi masen ga, tada, Furusato naru Shibutami wo omoi-dashi-masu. Nii-sama ni iitsukerarete, ano Yama-michi no Hô nado, Sumire wo sagashi ni aruki-mashita Tôji no koto wo Tsuikwai itashi-masu. Nî-sama mo aruiwa sono Tôji no Arisama wo Kokoro ni o-tadori ni naru koto ga o-ari ka mo shiremasen! ......Watashi no Tsukue no ue ni kaairashii Fukujusô ga arimasu. Sore wo mite imasu to, Kyô, fu-to Furusato ga omoi-dasarete nari-masen no. Yoku Sumire ya Fukujusô wo sagashi ni, ano hakaba no Hotori wo aruki-mashitakke! ......Soshite, iro-iro na koto wo omoi-dashimasita no. Nî-sama ni shikarareta Mukashi no koto wo omotte wa, atarashiku urande mo mimashita——Yurushite kudasai-mase! Ima wa shikarare-takute mo oyobi-masen!
    "Naze ano toki, amanjite Nî-sama ni shikararetanaktta de shô? Ima ni natte wa sore ga kono ue mo naku kuyashiu gozai-masu. Mô-ichi-do Nî-sama ni shikararete mitakutte! Shikashi mô oyobimasen! ......Jissai Watashi no Kokoro-gake wa machigatte-mashita nê! ......Nî-sama wa Ima Shibutami no tare ka to O-tayori nasutte irassharu no? Watashi, Akihama Kiyo-ko san ni O-tegami dashitai to zonjite ori-masu ga, Hokkaido e maitte kara mada ichi-do mo dashimasen no......
    "Sore kara Watashi-domo nê, 5 gwatsu Nakagoro wa Fujin-kwai ya Shûyô-kwai ga gozaimashite, mata Otaru ya Yoichi hômen e mairi-masu......"
    ......Yo no Me wa kasunda. Kono Kokoro-mochi wo sono mama Imôto ni tsugeta nara, Imôto wa donna ni yorokobu de arô! Genzai no Yo ni, kokoro-yuku bakari ajiwatte yomu Tegami wa, Imôto no sore bakari da: Haha no Tegami, Setsu-ko no Tegami, sorera wa Yo ni wa amari kanashii, amari tsurai. Naru beku nara yomitaku nai to sura omô. Soshite mata, Yo ni wa Izen no yô ni Kokoro to Kokoro no hibiki-au yô na Tegami wo kaku Yûjin ga naku natta. Toki-doki Shôsoku suru Onna——ni-san-nin no wakai Onna no Tegami——sore mo natsukashiku nai Wake de wa nai ga, shikashi sore wa Itsuwari da. ......Imôto! Yo no tada hitori no Imôto! Imôto no Mi ni tsuite no Sekinin wa subete Yo ni aru. Shikamo Yo wa sore wo sukoshi mo hatashite inai. ——Ototoshi no 5 gwatsu no Hajime, Yo wa Shibutami no Gakkô de Strike wo yatte Menshoku ninari, Imôto wa Otaru ni ita Ane no moto ni Yakkai ni naru koto ni nari, Yo mo mata Hokkaidô e itte nani ka yaru tsumori de, issho ni Hakodate made tsuretette yatta. Tsugaru no Umi wa areta. Sono toki Yo wa Fune ni yotte aoku natteru Imôto ni Seishintan nado wo nomashite, Kaihô shite yatta. ——Ah! Yo ga tatta hitori no Imôto ni taishite, Ani rashii koto wo shita no wa, osoraku, sono Toki dake na noda!
    Imôto wa mô nijûni da. Atarimae naraba Muron mô Kekkon shite, kaaii Kodomo demo daiteru beki Toshi da. Sore wo, Imôto wa ima made mo ikutabi ka Jikwatsu no Hôshin wo tateta. Fukô ni shite sore wa Shippai ni owatta: amari ni Ani ni nite iru Fukô na Imôto wa, yahari Genjitsu no Sekai ni atehamaru yô ni dekite inakatta! Saigo ni Imôto wa Kami wo motometa: ina, osorakuwa, Kami ni yotte Shokugyô wo motometa. Mitsu-ko wa, ima, hiyayaka na Gwaikoku-fujin no moto ni yashinawarete, 'Kami no tame' ni hataraite iru: Rainen wa Shiken wo ukete Nagoya no Mission School e hairi, 'Isshô wo Kami ni sasagete' Dendô-fu ni naru to yû!
    Ani ni nita Imôto wa hatashite Shûkyô-ka ni tekishite iru darô ka!
    Seikaku no amari ni chikai tame de gana arô; Yo to Imôto wa chiisai toki kara Naka ga warukatta. Osoraku kono futari no kurai aka no warui Kyôdai wa doko ni mo arumai. Imôto ga Yo ni taishite Imôto rashii Kuchi wo kiita koto wa atta ga, Yo wa mada Imôto ga Ijiko no naka ni ita toki kara, tsui zo Ani rashii Kuchi wo kiita koto wa nai!
    Ah! Sore ni mo kakawarazu, Imôto wa Yo wo urande-nai: mata Mukashi no yô ni shikararete mitai to itteru——sore ga mô dekinai to kanashinderu! Yo wa nakitai!
    Shibutami! Wasuren to shite wasure enu no wa Shibutami da! Shibutami! Shibutami! Ware wo sodate, soshite Hakugai shita Shibutami!......Yo wa nakitai, nakô to shita. Shikashi Namida ga denu!......Sono Shôgai no mottomo Taisetsu na 18 nen no aida wo Shibutami ni okutta Cichi to Haha——kanashii Toshiyori dachi ni wa, sono Shibutami wa amari ni tsuraku itamashii Kioku wo nokoshita. Shinda Ane wa Shibutami ni 3 nen ka 5 ne shika inakatta. Ni-ban-me no Iwamizawa no Ane wa, yasashii Kokoro to tomo ni Shibutami wo wasurete iru: omoidasu koto wo Chijyoku no yô ni kanjite iru. Soshite Setsu-ko wa Morioka ni umareta Onna da. Yo to tomo ni Shibutami wo wasure enu mono wa doko ni aru ka! Hiroi Sekai ni Mitsu-ko hitori da!

    Konya, Yo wa Imôto——aware naru Imôto wo omô no Jô ni taenu. Aitai! Atte Ani rashii Kuchi wo kiite yaritai! Kokoro yuku bakari Shibutami no koto wo kataritai. Futari tomo Yo-no-naka no Tsurasa, Kanashisa, Kurushisa wo shiranak-atta nan-nen no Mukashi ni kaeritai! Nani mo iranu! Imôto yo! Imôto yo! Warera no Ikka ga uchisorôte, tanoshiku Shibutami no Mukashi-banashi wo suru Hi wa hatashite aru darô ka?
    Itsu shika Ame ga furi-dashite, Amadare no Oto ga wabishii. Yo ni shite moshi Chichi——sude ni ichi-nen Tayori mo sezu ni iru Chichi to, Haha to, Mitsu-ko to, sore kara Saishi to wo atsumete, tatoi nan no umai Mono wa naku-tomo, issho ni Bansan wo toru koto ga dekiru nara............
    Kindaichi-kun no Kabafuto-iki wa, Natsu-yasumi dake iku no da sô da. Kyô wa Gengogaku-kwai no Ensoku de Ômiya made itte kita to no koto.