物語「GreatesT’rip Jum”V”oyage」04． shinjuku greatestripⅡ

前回 GTJVー03

階段を下りた左に待っていたのは、未来でも四次元世界でもなく、ひとりの男だった。

ベージュとブラウンと大理石風のタイルで敷き詰められた円形の広場。場所は地下１階くらい、円形劇場を思わせる感じ。彼はその中央に立っていた。
　でかい。
　おおきい、ではなく。『ジャイアント・マン』と勝手に呼びたくなる。普通の男の４倍くらいの高さ。横幅は倍くらいだから、ひょろっとした感じ。でも油断すると踏んできそう。どしん、ぺしゃり。
　太陽をイメージさせる広場の、中央に立つ彼は、あごをがくがく動かしながら、声は出さずに黙っている。わたしみたいな変な人間がよほど怒らせない限り、追いかけてはこないだろう、多分。刺激しないよう静かに広場を後にした。
　門のような出口を抜ける。扉は特になくて、そのまま歩道に出ることができた。
　目の前の道は、コーシュー。この間歩道橋から見たけれど、直接歩くのは初。すぐ、本当にすぐのところでカンロクとぶつかる。交差点。信号は赤、むかつく。
　改めて交差点に立つと、道が何重も層を作っていることが分かる。コーシューの下には、カンロクとの交差点を避けるための道路が、地下を通っている。コーシューの上には、コーシューと平行して進む高速道路。上にはカンロクと平行して進む高速道路も。そして、それぞれの高速から、手を伸ばすように伸びるカーブ道路。きっと、行き先を変えるためのもの。
　そのままなら未来っぽいけれどなんか嘘っぽくもなる。それを、灰色橋の脚たち
が、大地から支えている。
　大地から伸びる圧倒的な存在感。シントシンのビル達と同じ、強い意志が現れている。空の奴のエリアに割り込んでいるのも、とてもいい感じ。
　橋の脚たちが支えているのは、高いところを自在に伸びていく、道だけじゃない。その道達がなぜ存在するのか、その行く先、今後どうなっていくのかまで、すべてを支えているように、思える。「おれにまかせろ」と言っているように。何も根拠はないけれど。
　自分にとっての、橋脚は何なのだろう。これのために生まれてきたとか、これのために生きていくといえるような人も、物も、出来事も何一つ、わたしにはない。
　高速道路の皆様へ。そっちはうまくやっててよくても、こっちはどうにもならないよ。
　なんて思った時、目の前の信号に気づいた、ちかたかちか、ちかたかちか。信号にいらつく暇もなく横断歩道を走り、高速道路をくぐる。
　スフレケーキの高層ビルを左手に見る。その手前はもうひとつビルが建てられるくらい、奥行き５０ｍくらい、幅２〜３０ｍくらいの歩道兼広場になっている。広場は灰色に舗装されていて、ざらざらのお皿みたいだ。多分誰かがケーキをつまみ食いしたんだろう、なんて。

　と、手前に一本、ぽつんと生えている木が目に入った。

　大した木じゃない。枝の隅々を入れても１０ｍあるかどうか。枝は間引きされててぼろぼろ。まだ秋なのに葉は数える程度、木の肌もがさがさ。コーシューに近い街路樹の方が、ぼろぼろなのに地面のアスファルトを盛り上げたり、枝で道に入り込んだりしている。よっぽど強そうだ。そのたびに枝を切られたり地面を直されてるけれど。
　かわいそうに思えて、木の目の前５０㎝に立つ。ちっぽけな自分からすればこんな弱々しい木でも十分大きいように見える。幹に触れると、やっぱりがさがさだ。場所によっては肌がはがれているし、何のためか分からない電気コードみたいな線もくっついている。
　ダメなやつ。そう思いながら何気なく上を見た。
　木は細い枝で懸命に、つかもうとしていた。空に、二重人格ビルに、シフォンケーキビルに、横に立つ高速道路達に向かっても。
　同時に声が聞こえた。
「怖いから、イヤだから、つらいから、強くなれるってことも、あるんだと思う」
　なんで同時に声が聞こえたのか、見回したけれど、やっぱり声の主らしき人はいない。でも、確かに聞こえた。
　心が動いた、ぶるぶるって。
　この木はもしかしたらわたしじゃないか。
　手を伸ばせばいい、小さくても、ぼろぼろでも。何に対してなのか、それはまだ分からないけれど。
　心の動きと同時に、ケータイもぶるぶる動いていた。分かってるっての。
　乱暴に適当に押し、元来た道を地下駅へ走った。横断歩道を渡り、大広場のジャイアントマンに左手と心で、それじゃまた 、のあいさつ。
　また、地味なスケジュールノートを取り出す。ページをめくるとそこには濃い色でバツをつけられた『ナクナル』の文字があった。今はそんなこと考えていない、サイテーな気分はまだまだなくならなくても。
　文字は消しても、破り捨ててもいいけれど、それはそれでいいや、と残して、その横に書き加えた。
『ヨワムシのツヨサ』

ぼろぼろの木

「Jet」

NEXT： 完全版Full Stories ↓ 新宿版だけWalkin’On Shinjuku Edition only↓↓

(Awful Eng”r”ish translation)

　Waiting to the left at the bottom of the stairs was neither the future nor a four-dimensional world, but a man.

A circular plaza paved with beige, brown, and marble-like tiles. The place was about a basement floor, reminiscent of an amphitheater. He was standing in the center of it.
　It was huge.
　Not big, but big. I wanted to call him "Giant Man. He was about four times as tall as an ordinary man. He was about twice as tall as a normal man, and about twice as wide, so he looked spindly. But if you're not careful, he might step on you. Doshin, flattened.
　Standing in the center of the square, which reminds me of the sun, he is silent, not making a sound, while wriggling his jaw. Unless a strange person like me offends him, he probably won't come after me. I left the square quietly so as not to provoke him.
　I passed through a gate-like exit. There was no door, and I could go straight to the sidewalk.
　The street in front of us was Kosheu. I had seen it from the pedestrian bridge the other day, but this was my first time walking directly on it. Soon, really soon, we bumped into Kanrok. An intersection. The light is red, and I am disgusted.
　Standing at the intersection again, I realize that the road is multi-layered. Underneath Kho Shu, a road runs underground to avoid the intersection with Kan Lok. Above the Kho Shu is a highway that runs parallel to the Kho Shu. Above, also a highway that runs parallel to Kanlok. And from each of these highways, curved roads that stretch out as if reaching out. They must be for changing destinations.
　If it were left as it is, it would look futuristic, but it would also look false. The legs of the gray bridge
are supporting it from the ground.
　An overwhelming presence extending from the earth. The same strong will as that of the buildings in Sintoshin is manifested. It is also very nice that they are interrupting the area of the guy in the sky.
　The legs of the bridge are not only supporting a road that extends freely over high places. They seem to support everything, including the reason why these roads exist, where they are going, and what will happen to them in the future. It is as if they are saying, "Leave it to me. I don't have any evidence for this.
　What are the piers for me? There is no person, thing, or event that I can say I was born for, or will live for.
　To all of you on the highway. You may be doing well over there, but I can't help you over here.
　Just when I was thinking that, I noticed the traffic light in front of me, chikata chika chika, chikata chika. Without time to be irritated by the signal, I ran through the pedestrian crossing and passed under the highway.
　I see the Souffle Cake skyscraper on my left. In front of it is a sidewalk and plaza about 50 meters deep and 2 to 30 meters wide, large enough for another building to be built. The square is paved in gray and looks like a rough plate. Someone probably ate a piece of cake, I thought.

　Then, I noticed a tree growing in front of the square.

　It was not a big tree. It was only about 10 meters long, even if you included all of its branches. The branches had been thinned out and were in shreds. It was still autumn, but there were only a few leaves, and the tree's skin was rusty. The roadside trees closer to Koshue are more ragged, but they are still heaping up the asphalt on the ground and encroaching into the road with their branches. They look much stronger. Every time they do that, though, the branches are cut off or the ground is mended.
　I felt sorry for him and stood 50cm in front of the tree. Even such a weak tree looks big enough for my tiny self. When I touched the trunk, I found that it was still very rough. The skin is peeling off in some places, and there are wires like electric cords attached to it that I don't know what they are for.
　It's no good. Thinking this, I casually looked up.
　The tree was trying hard to grab hold of a thin branch. The tree was trying to grab onto the sky, onto the dual personality building, onto the chiffon cake building, and onto the freeways standing next to it.
　At the same time, I heard voices.
I think sometimes it's because we're afraid, because we don't want to, because it's hard, that we can be strong.
　I looked around to see why the voices were being heard at the same time, but there was no one who seemed to be the owner of the voices. But I am sure that I heard it.
　My heart was moving, shaking.
　Could this tree be me?
　I could reach out my hand to it, even if it was small and tattered. I still don't know what it is to.
　My heart was moving, and my cell phone was also moving. I know what it is.
　I pushed it roughly and appropriately, and ran toward the underground station the way I came from. Crossing the pedestrian crossing, I greeted the giant man in the main square with my left hand and my heart, saying, "See you later.
　I took out my notebook, a humble schedule notebook. I turn the page and there, crossed out in dark color, are the words "Nakunal”. I don't think about that now, even if the saithe mood is not gone yet.
　I could erase the letters or tear them up, but I left them as they were and added a note next to them.
”Yowamushi no Tsuyosa.”

(Writter:No.4 ﾔﾔﾂｶ Photo:No.5 ﾊﾙﾅﾂ Auful translation:Deep L & No.0)