R11:CO2 05.txt

こころ「どうしたのよ、ゆに」%K%P
What is it, Yuni?

地下倉庫につくと、ゆにはキョロキョロと人気がないことを確認した。%K%P
When we reached the underground storeroom, Yuni glanced around to confirm that no one else was there.

そして、面白いイタズラを考えついたような笑顔でポケットに手を入れる。%K%P
And then, with a smile that looked as if he'd come up with a good prank, he put his hand in his pocket.

ゆに「これ、あげるよ」%K%P
I'll give these to you.

彼の手のひらには、ふたつのキャンディが乗っていた。%K%P
In the palm of his hand were two candies.

ゆに「ポケットに入ってたんだけど、人数分なかったからさ。ふたりで黙って食べちゃおうよ」%K%P
They were in my pocket, but there aren't enough for everybody. Let's secretly eat them ourselves.

こころ「でも、黙って食べるのは……」%K%P
But, eating them in secret...

ゆに「こころん、お昼にご飯食べられなかったでしょ？　だから……ね？」%K%P
Kokoron, you didn't get to eat lunch, right? That's why... okay?

ゆに「それに、これはぼくのだからね。とんびに飴玉さらわれる前に、ひとつずつ食べちゃおう！」%K%P
And besides, these are mine. Let's eat them before Tonbi finds out we have them!

『とんび』というのは、黛のことだろう。%K%P
"Tonbi" probably refers to Mayuzumi.

上にいるふたりには申し訳ない気がしたが、%K%P
I thought it would be unfair to the other two upstairs, but...

きゅるるるる。%K%P
Groowwwwwllll.

冬川こころの身体は、空腹だった。%K%P
Fuyukawa Kokoro's body was hungry.

飴玉を砕いてみんなで分けるというわけにもいくまい。%K%P
It's not like we can break up hard candy and divide it between us.

こころ「そうだね。申し訳ないけど、頂いちゃおうかな」%K%P
That's true. It's not really fair, but I guess I'll have one.

ゆに「そうこなくちゃ」%K%P
That's how it should be.

ゆに「こころんは、どっちなめたい？」%K%P
Which one do you want, Kokoron?

ゆに「メロン味と、パイン味があるんだよ」%K%P
There're melon-flavored and pineapple-flavored ones.

こころ「そうねぇ……」%K%p
Let's see...

『メロン味』
Melon-flavored

『パイン味』
Pineapple-flavored

こころ「メロン味をもらっちゃおうかな」%K%P
I guess I'll have the melon-flavored one.

ゆに「お、高級志向～」%K%P
Oh, how high class～

ゆには、飴玉を私の手に握らせてくれた。%K%P
Yuni placed the hard candy firmly in my hand.

なんだか駄菓子屋にでも来たような気分だ。%K%P
Somehow it felt as if we were in a candy store.

こころ「ありがとう」%K%P
Thanks.

包みを解いて口に放り込む。%K%P
I unwrapped the candy and tossed it into my mouth.

恐らく甘味料によって人工的に合成されたメロン味なんだろうけれど、とても美味しかった。%K%P
It may have been a melon taste artificially produced using sweeteners, but it was very delicious.

ゆに「あれ？　そういえば、こころんって、メロン味は大丈夫なの？」%K%P
Huh? Now that I think about it, are you all right with melon-flavored stuff, Kokoron?

ゆにはパイン味のキャンディを口に入れながら、首をかしげる。%K%P
Yuni smiled while popping the pineapple candy into his mouth.

こころ「大丈夫って？」%K%P
What do you mean?

ゆに「嫌いなのかもって思って」%K%P
I thought you might hate it.

こころ「どうして？」%K%P
Why?

ゆに「ほら、こころんって、キュウリ嫌いでしょ？」%K%P
Well, Kokoron hates cucumbers, right?

ゆに「メロン味って、キュウリにハチミツ掛けた味って言うじゃない」%K%P
They say melon flavoring is derived from cucumber honey, don't they?

ゆに「こころんみたいな、血統書付きのキュウリ嫌いは、メロンもダメなのかと思ったよ」%K%P
I was wondering whether someone like Kokoron, who was from a certified pedigree of cucumber haters, would be fine with melon flavor.

こころ「キュウリとメロンは全然違うよ」%K%P
Cucumbers and melons are completely different.

こころ「どのぐらい違うかというと、食べ物かそうじゃないかぐらいの違いがあるわ」%K%P
If you ask how different they are, it's like the difference between something that's edible and something that's not.

ゆに「こころんってば、前世でキュウリにイジメられたんじゃない？」%K%P
Did you get picked on by a cucumber in your previous life, Kokoron?

こころ「そうかもね」%K%P
That might be.

私達は口の中でころころとキャンディを転がしながら微笑みあった。%K%P
We both rolled the candy around in our mouths and smiled.

こころ「パイン味をもらっちゃおうかな」%K%P
I guess I'll try the pineapple-flavored one.

ゆに「お、南国情緒～」%K%P
Oh, how exotic～

ゆには、飴玉を私の手に握らせてくれた。%K%P
Yuni placed the hard candy firmly in my hand.

なんだか駄菓子屋にでも来たような気分だ。%K%P
Somehow it felt as if we were in a candy store.

こころ「ありがとう」%K%P
Thanks.

包みを解いて口に放り込む。%K%P
I unwrapped the candy and tossed it into my mouth.

恐らく甘味料によって人工的に合成されたパイン味なんだろうけれど、とても美味しかった。%K%P
It may have been a pineapple taste artificially produced using sweeteners, but it was very delicious.

ゆに「あれ？　そういえば、こころんって、パイン味は大丈夫なの？」%K%P
Huh? Now that I think about it, are you alright with pineapple-flavored stuff, Kokoron?

ゆにはメロン味のキャンディを口に入れながら、首をかしげる。%K%P
Yuni smiled while popping the melon candy into his mouth.

こころ「大丈夫って？」%K%P
What do you mean?

ゆに「嫌いなのかもって思って」%K%P
I thought you might hate it.

こころ「どうして？」%K%P
Why?

ゆに「ほら、酢豚のパインが嫌いって言ってたじゃない」%K%P
Well, you said you hated the pineapple from sweet and sour pork.

こころ「私、パイナップルは好きだよ。嫌いになるのは、酢豚に入ってる場合だけ」%K%P
I like pineapple. The only time I don't like it is when it's served with sweet and sour pork.

こころ「だって、信じられる？　パインのつもりで食べると、温かいんだよ！？」%K%P
Anyway, it's unbelievable, isn't it? You're supposed to be eating pineapple, but it's warm?!

こころ「しかも、中華風ソース掛かってるし！　騙された気分っ！」%K%P
Moreover, it's covered with Chinese-style sauce! It feels like being cheated!

ゆに「信じてたヒトの浮気現場見ちゃったみたいな感じ？」%K%P
Like the feeling when you catch someone you believe in being unfaithful red-handed?

こころ「そ。まさしく、そんな感じ」%K%P
Yup. It's exactly the same feeling.

私達は口の中でころころとキャンディを転がしながら微笑みあった。%K%P
We both rolled the candy around in our mouths and smiled.

ゆに「ねえ、こころん？」%K%P
Hey, Kokoron?

こころ「ん？」%K%P
Hm?

ゆに「結婚しよっか？」%K%P
Wanna get married?

こころ「……は？」%K%P
...Huh?

こころ「今、なんておっしゃいました？」%K%P
Pardon me, but what did you say just now?

ゆに「結婚しよう、って言ったんだけど」%K%P
I said, let's get married.

こころ「どっ……」%K%P
H...

こころ「ど、ど、ど、どうしてそうなるわけ！？」%K%P
H, h, h, how did we get on this topic?!

こころ「いきなり、なに言っちゃってるのよ、この子は～！」%K%P
What's this kid saying all of a sudden～?!

私は顔を赤らめながら言った。%K%P
My face turned red as I replied.

あまりに唐突なゆにの要求に、私はうろたえ、慌てふためき、焦りまくった。%K%P
Yuni's sudden request had panicked me, and I was suddenly angry.

こころ「そういうのは、お互いの了承と同意があって初めて成立するものでありっ」%K%P
Something like that can only come about when two people mutually agree on it together!

ゆに「こころんは、ぼくのこと嫌いなの？」%K%P
Do you hate me, Kokoron?

こころ「そ、そんなことあるわけないじゃない」%K%P
O, of course I don't!

ゆに「じゃあ好きってことだよね？　ぼくもこころんのこと好き～♪」%K%P
Then, that means you like me, right? I like Kokoron too～♪

ゆに「はい、これで成立だね」%K%P
Okay, now it's official.

こころ「ちっが～う！」%K%P
That's wrooong!

ゆに「もう、冗談なのに……そこまでムキにならなくたっていいじゃん」%K%P
Geez, I was just kidding... You didn't have to get so angry.

こころ「冗談にも程があるの！」%K%P
Jokes have their limits, too!

ゆに「そっかなぁ……」%K%P
I guess...

こころ「でも……」%K%P
But...

こころ「仮に私とゆにが結婚したとしたら、私は『楠田こころ』になるのかぁ～」%K%P
If you and I got married, I'd be Kusuda Kokoro, wouldn't I?

ゆに「そうとは限らないよ？」%K%P
That's not set in stone, right?

ゆに「知らないの？　%TS021夫婦別姓%TEの法案……２００８年に可決されたじゃん！」%K%P
Didn't you know? The %TS021dual surname bill%TE... it was passed in 2008!

ああ、そう言えばそうだった。%K%P
Ah, now that he mentions it, that's right.

けれど私は嫁にいったら、そのひとの名前に変わりたい。%K%P
But when I get married, I want to change my name to be the same as my spouse's.

私の夢のひとつでもあった。%K%P
It's a dream of mine.

………………。%K%P
..........

しばらく談笑をした後、私は思いきって聞いてみた。%K%p
After a moment of friendly chatter, I gathered my resolve and decided to ask him:

ゆには双子？
Is Yuni a twin?

ゆにはクローン？
Is Yuni a clone?

こころ「ゆに、あなたって双子とかじゃないよね？」%K%P
Yuni, you're not a twin or anything, right?

ゆにがふたり存在する。%K%P
Yuni exists as two people.

その最も単純な解が『双子』である可能性だ。%K%P
The simplest solution would be if he were "a twin."

彼が双子なら、こことスフィアの２箇所でゆにを目撃したことに、矛盾はなくなる。%K%P
If he were a twin, that would take care of the contradiction of witnessing him both at SPHIA and here.

しかし――%K%P
However――

ゆに「ぼくは、双子じゃないよ」%K%P
I'm not a twin.

こころ「そっか……」%K%P
I see...

世の中、簡単には行かないようだ。%K%P
It seems things don't always work out so easily in this world.

こころ「ゆに……こういうことを訊くのはすごく失礼かもしれないけれど……」%K%P
Yuni... Asking something like this might be extremely rude, but...

こころ「あなた以外に世界にもうひとり、ゆにと遺伝子組成が完全に一致している存在がいると思う……？」%K%P
Do you think that, elsewhere in this world, another person exists whose genetic composition is perfectly identical to your own?

ゆに「…………」%K%P
......

私は遠回しに、ゆににそう尋ねてみた。%K%P
I asked Yuni in a roundabout way.

ゆにがふたり存在する。%K%P
Yuni exists as two people.

その最も単純な解が『クローン』である可能性だ。%K%P
The simplest solution would be if he were "a clone."

彼がクローンなら、こことスフィアの２箇所でゆにを目撃したことに、矛盾はなくなる。%K%P
If he were a clone, that would take care of the contradiction of witnessing him both at SPHIA and here.

しかし――%K%P
However――

ゆに「つまり、ぼくのクローンが……」%K%P
In other words, my clone...

ゆに「もしくはぼくが仮にクローンだとして、本物のぼくが、この世界のどこかにいるかも、ってこと？」%K%P
Or, if I were a clone, maybe the real me is somewhere out there in the world?

ゆには途切れ途切れの言葉を繋いで、私に問い返す。%K%P
Yuni finished his sentence after a pause and asked me.

こころ「……気分を悪くさせていたらごめんなさい」%K%P
...I'm sorry if I upset you.

ゆに「ううん、別に気分を悪くしてなんてないよ」%K%P
No, it's not that I'm upset.

ゆに「でも、ぼくのクローンがいる可能性もぼくがクローンな可能性も、多分ないと思うよ」%K%P
But, I think the possibility that I have a clone and the possibility that I am a clone are both probably null.

ゆに「そもそもまだクローン自体、この世界で０．数％未満しか存在していないと思うし」%K%P
In the first place, clones themselves only exist in numbers in the 0.something% range in today's society, right?
 
ゆに「そんな人とこんな雪山で一緒に遭難する可能性なんて……限りなく０に近いと思わない？」%K%P
The probability of being together on a snowy mountain with someone like that after an accident... is probably infinitely close to zero, don't you think?

こころ「それもそうよね……ごめんなさい」%K%P
That's true, isn't it... I'm sorry.

ゆに「こころん、ちょっとごめんなさいって言い過ぎだよ？　本当にぼくは気にしてないってば～っ、ね？」%K%P
Kokoron, haven't you apologized enough already? I said I really don't mind～, okay?

こころ「うん、ありがとう。変な気遣いまでさせちゃってごめんね？」%K%P
Okay, thanks.  I'm sorry for asking such a weird question.

ゆに「もう～っ、だから～」%K%P
Gee～z, I've been telling you to stop～

ゆにはハシゴに手を掛けると、チェシャ猫みたいににま～っと笑った。%K%P
Yuni placed his hand on the ladder, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

ゆに「それじゃ、ぼく上に行くね」%K%P
Well, I'm going back up.

ゆに「ふたりっきりで、ずっと下にいたらあやしまれちゃうからさ」%K%P
If the two of us are alone for too long, they might get suspicious.

ゆに「えっちぃことしてるんじゃないか～って」%K%P
They might think we're doing something dirty～

こころ「子どもがなに言ってるの？」%K%P
Children shouldn't say things like that.

すると、ゆにはゾクッとするような上目遣いをした。%K%P
After I said that, Yuni looked up at me with a glance that gave me chills.

ゆに「子どもかどうか……試してみる？」%K%P
Want to test... whether I'm a child or not?

こころ「んなっ！？」%K%P
Wha?!

妙に艶めかしい言い方に、私はどきっとしてしまった。%K%P
My heart started beating harder at his strangely seductive way of speaking.

頬がちょっと赤くなってしまう。%K%P
My cheeks reddened ever so slightly.

ゆに「もう、こころんこそ、ホントにハタチ？　実は子どもなんじゃないの？」%K%P
Geez, Kokoron too, are you really twenty? Aren't you really a child?

こころ「こーらーっ」%K%P
Hey...

ゆに「冗談だよっ。怒らないで、こころん」%K%P
It was only a joke. Don't get angry, Kokoron.

ぺろっと舌を出し、ゆには謝った。%K%P
Yuni apologized and teasingly stuck out his tongue.

と、彼はハシゴに手を掛けたまま、もう片方の手で自分の髪を一房束ねて見せた。%K%P
And, keeping one hand on the ladder, he pushed his hair back with the other.

某女性柔道家が、そうしているように。%K%P
He did it as if he were some female judo athlete.

ゆに「ぼく、目印を付けてるみたいに髪を束ねてるわけじゃないよね」%K%P
It's not as if I'm setting my hair to put a sign there.

服の胸元を指さし、%K%P
Pointing at the clothing at his chest,

ゆに「特にイニシアルの入った服を着てるわけでもないし、服の色に特徴があるわけでもないよ」%K%P
It's not like I had my initials embroidered, and my shirt's colors don't have any really special characteristics.

こころ「ん？　なにがいいたいの？」%K%P
Hm? What are you trying to say?

ゆに「双子がいるような特徴は、ぼくは持ってないと思うんだけど……」%K%P
I don't think I have anything that would hint toward me having a twin...

ゆに「どうして、そんなことが気になったんだろうね？　変なこころん」%K%P
Why were you curious about something like that? You're strange, Kokoron.

ゆには妙に大人びた笑顔を浮かべて、そう言い残すと、ハシゴを上っていった。%K%P
An oddly precocious smile on his face, Yuni said those last few words and climbed up the ladder.

双子がいると考えた理由は、ひとつ。%K%P
There was a single reason I thought he had a twin.

ふたりのゆにを目撃しているからだ。%K%P
Because I had witnessed two Yunis.

双子でないとすれば、避難小屋とスフィア、２箇所で同一人物に遭遇する可能性なんて、他にあるだろうか？%K%P
If he doesn't have a twin, how else is it possible to encounter the same person in two places, both this shelter cabin and SPHIA?

ゆに「それにしても、ぼくがクローンかもなんて……」%K%P
Even so, asking if I was a clone or not...

ゆに「どうして、そんなことが気になったんだろうね？　変なこころん」%K%P
Why were you curious about something like that? You're strange, Kokoron.

ゆには妙に大人びた笑顔を浮かべて、そう言い残すと、ハシゴを上っていった。%K%P
An oddly precocious smile on his face, Yuni said those last few words and climbed up the ladder.

クローンがいると考えた理由は、ひとつ。%K%P
There was a single reason I thought he had a clone.

ふたりのゆにを目撃しているからだ。%K%P
Because I had witnessed two Yunis.

クローンでないとすれば、避難小屋とスフィア、２箇所で同一人物に遭遇する可能性なんて、他にあるだろうか？%K%P
If he doesn't have a clone, how else is it possible to encounter the same person in two places, both this shelter cabin and SPHIA?

こころ「う～ん……？」%K%P
Hm～mm...?

考え込んだ私は、無意識のうちに小さくなったキャンディをかみ砕いてしまった。%K%P
I had unconsciously crunched the candy into tiny pieces while pondering.

大事になめようと思っていたのに……%K%P
Even though I wanted to take my time eating it...

私は、小さな粒のようになってしまった飴を舌の上で転がして、フルーツの味を楽しんだ。%K%P
I rolled the candy that had become as small as a grain around on the top of my tongue and enjoyed the fruit flavor.

そこで、私は気づいた。%K%P
And then, I realized.

こころ「……どうしてあの子、私の好き嫌いを知ってるの？」%K%P
...How does that boy know what my tastes are?

それを話したのは……スフィアで朝食を食べていた時のことだ。%K%P
I talked about them when... we were eating breakfast at SPHIA.

それ以外で、嫌いな食べ物の話などしていない。%K%P
Other than that time, I've talked about which foods I hate.

つまり、先ほど飴玉をくれたゆには、スフィアで朝食を食べていたのと、同じ記憶を持っているということになるのだろうか？%K%P
In other words, does this mean that the Yuni that I had breakfast with at SPHIA and the Yuni that just gave me candy held the same memories?

こころ「同じ記憶を持っている……？」%K%P
They hold the same memories...?

ついさっき、私は似たようなことを考えていた。%K%P
Just a moment ago, I was thinking something similar.

記憶と脳の関係について。%K%P
About the relationship between memory and the brain.

人格が遠隔地に飛ぶことについて……。%K%P
About the personality jumping to somewhere else in the world....

こころ「まさか……」%K%P
It can't be...

ひとつの可能性に気づいて、私はハッとした。%K%P
My heart jumped when I realized one possibility.

ゆにも、私達と同じように人格交換をしているのではないだろうか？%K%N
Was Yuni experiencing a personality exchange just like us?

私と悟が人格交換を行なったとき、同時にゆにも人格交換をしているのではないだろうか……？%K%N
Whenever Satoru and I underwent a personality exchange, perhaps Yuni's personality was undergoing an exchange as well...?

いや、同時かどうかはわからない。%K%N
No, I can't say whether it's at the same time or not.

しかし、ゆにも私達と同じようにスフィアと避難小屋を往復していると考えれば、納得がいく。%K%P
However, it was at least certain that Yuni had been transferring between this shelter cabin and SPHIA like we were.

スフィアで私の発言を聞いたゆにが、こちらに飛んできたというわけだ。%K%N
The Yuni that heard me speak at SPHIA had jumped over here.

だが、避難小屋にもスフィアにも、ゆにがいるというのはどういうことだろう？%K%N
But how can Yuni be both here and in SPHIA?

私と悟の場合は肉体を交換している。%K%N
In Satoru's and my case, we exchange bodies.

ゆにの場合はたまたま同じ肉体だったということだろうか……？%K%P
Perhaps, in Yuni's case, he occasionally gets the same body...?

こころ「……たまたま、同じ肉体？」%K%P
...Occasionally, the same body?

自分の考えの馬鹿らしさに、自分自身呆れた。%K%P
I was amazed at the silliness of my own idea.

スフィアと避難小屋で、ゆにの記憶が連続しているという事実から、私達と同じように人格が飛んでいるのではないか？　という推理をした。%K%N
As Yuni's memory remains continuous between the shelter cabin and SPHIA, maybe his personality was jumping like ours were? Or so I deduced.

しかし、その推論は『ゆにの姿を双方で見た』という不可思議な現象に、なんらの答えももたらしてはいないのだ。%K%N
However, that deduction didn't provide any answers about the mysterious phenomenon of seeing Yuni in both places.

ゆには自分が双子ではないと言った。%K%N
Yuni said that he wasn't a twin.

ゆには自分がクローンではないと言った。%K%N
Yuni said that he wasn't a clone.

ならば、同じような肉体が、向こう側にいることなんてあり得ないではないか。%K%P
If that's the case, then having an identical body over on the other side is impossible, isn't it?

こころ「待って、待ってよ……」%K%P
Wait, wait...

同時にゆにの肉体がふたつあるなんてこと、誰が言ったの？%K%N
Who said that Yuni even had two bodies at the same time?

私がそう勘違いしてるだけなのかもしれない。%K%N
It might be that I'm simply misunderstanding things.

私がスフィアにいるとき、避難小屋がどうなっているのか私にはわからない。%K%N
When I'm at SPHIA, I have no idea what the situation is in the shelter cabin.

私が避難小屋にいるとき、スフィアがどうなっているのか私にはわからない。%K%N
When I'm in the shelter cabin, I have no idea what the situation is at SPHIA.

と言うことは、これはあくまでも仮説だが……。%K%P
Which means, and this is at the very most a hypothesis....

ゆにが体験しているのは、ＳＦ的な言葉を借りるなら『%TS022テレポーテーション%TE』ではないだろうか？%K%N
What Yuni is experiencing is, to borrow a word from science fiction, "%TS022teleportation%TE," is it not?

しかも私の人格が転移すると同時に、ゆには意識と肉体、双方がそろって転移しているとは考えられないだろうか？%K%N
Moreover, can it be considered that at the same time that my personality transfers, both Yuni's personality and body transfer as well?
   
つまり、悟はゆにを見ていない。%K%N
In other words, Satoru doesn't meet with Yuni.

ゆには常に私のそばにいるのだ。%K%N
Yuni is constantly by my side.

不可解な現象の上に、さらに不可思議な論理を積み重ねているため、酷くいびつな考えだが……%K%N
On top of that unexplainable phenomenon, to pile on even more mysterious logic, a cruelly distorted thought came to me...

今、私の周りに発生している出来事を説明することができる、可能性のひとつだと思う。%K%P
Right now, I can think of only one possible explanation for the events happening around me.

これを検証する方法はある。%K%N
There's a way to verify it.

ゆにに聞けば良いのだ。%K%N
It would be best to just ask Yuni.

しかし――私は思う。%K%N
But――I wonder.

ゆには、なんら混乱している様子を見せていない。%K%N
Yuni hasn't shown any signs of being confused.

テレポーテーションなんて事態に陥っているなら、相談しても良さそうなものなのに。%K%N
You'd usually want to consult with others if you fall into a situation where you're teleporting between places.

確証をつかむまでは、ゆにに尋ねるのはやめよう。%K%N
Until I get my hands on some solid proof, I hold off on asking Yuni.

そう思った。%K%N
Those were my thoughts.

彼をむやみに混乱させてはならない。%K%N
I won't confuse him unnecessarily.

ただでさえ、遭難という極限状況にあるのだから――%K%P
Because we're on the brink in an extreme situation here which could be called a disaster――

私はひとつうなずくと、上に昇るため、ハシゴに手を掛けた。%K%P
I nodded to myself once, and put my hand on the ladder to climb up.

上にあがると、黄泉木がイスに座って%TS024ナイフの手入れ%TEをしていた。%K%P
When I go up, I see Yomogi sitting in a chair doing %TS024knife maintenance%TE.

布きれでナイフの刃を拭いている。%K%P
He's wiping the blade of the knife with a cloth.

私は興味本位で黄泉木の側に寄っていった。%K%P
Wondering what he was doing, I went to Yomogi's side.

こころ「お手入れですか？」%K%P
Maintenance?

黄泉木「ああ」%K%P
Yes.

黄泉木「さっきラジオを分解しようとして使っただろ」%K%P
I tried to use it to disassemble the radio earlier, right?

黄泉木「油がついたかもしれないからな」%K%P
It might have gotten some oil on it then.

黄泉木「使い終わったら汚れを拭き取る――ナイフにとっての常識だ」%K%P
Wiping off the impurities when you're finished using it is common sense when using a knife.

そう言いながら刃を丁寧に拭き続ける黄泉木。%K%P
Yomogi continued to carefully wipe the blade as he said that.

黄泉木「ナイフってのはデリケートな代物なんだ」%K%P
A knife is a delicate thing.

黄泉木「きちんと日頃から手入れしてあげないと、いざってときに役に立たなくなるからね」%K%P
If you don't take care of it on a regular basis, it might not be of any use when you need it the most.

拭き終わると、黄泉木はナイフを念入りにチェックし始めた。%K%P
After he finished wiping, Yomogi started to carefully check the knife.

黄泉木「うむ」%K%P
Yup.

完璧だったらしい。満足そうにうなずく。%K%P
It seems it was perfect. He nods in satisfaction.

そしてナイフを鞘に収めると、それをテーブルの上に置いて立ち上がった。%K%P
Then, sheathing the knife, he placed it on the surface of the table.

黄泉木「さて、ストーブの火を点検しておくか」%K%P
Well then, I guess I'll check on the fire in the stove.

ナイフをそのままにして、黄泉木はストーブの方へと歩いていく。%K%P
Leaving the knife where it was, Yomogi walked over to the stove.

私は好奇心にかられてナイフを手に取ってみた。%K%P
I picked up the knife out of curiosity.

ずっしりと重い。見た目よりも重量感があった。%K%P
It was considerably heavy. Its weight was much greater than I imagined from its appearance.

こころ「ふーーん」%K%P
Hmmm.

鞘から抜き取ってみる。%K%P
I pull it out from the sheath.

全長３４，５ｃｍくらい。刃の長さは２０ｃｍくらいだ。%K%P
The overall length was about 34.5 cm. The blade itself was about 20 cm in length.

刃は分厚く、５ｍｍくらいはありそうだ。%K%P
The blade was thick, about 5mm at the blunt end.

こころ「すごーい。よく切れそう」%K%P
Wow. It looks really sharp.

こころ「っていうか、これで切られたら痛そう……」%K%P
Rather, it'd really hurt if someone was cut with this...

まるで%TS023フランス傭兵部隊%TEとかが使っているコンバットナイフみたいだ。%K%P
It's like a combat knife used by %TS023French mercenary troops%TE.

黄泉木「お、おい！　危ないから気をつけろよ」%K%P
H, hey! That's dangerous, so be careful!

私がナイフを勝手に持ち出したことに気づいた黄泉木が注意してきた。%K%P
Yomogi noticed that I had taken out the knife without permission and told me to take care.

黄泉木「ケガするぞ」%K%P
You'll cut yourself.

こころ「大丈夫ですよぉ」%K%P
Don't worry so much.

根拠もなく、そう言う私。%K%P
I say, baselessly.

ナイフの刃にそっと触れてみる。%K%P
I softly touched the blade of the knife.

ヒヤリとした冷たさが伝わってくる。%K%P
The chilly coolness transferred to my fingers.

こころ「それにしても、すごいナイフですねぇ」%K%P
But wow, this is a good knife, isn't it?

黄泉木「ぐわっ、刃に触れるんじゃない！　せっかく拭いたばかりなのにっ」%K%P
Whoa, don't be touching the blade! I just finished wiping it down!

黄泉木「指の油がつくじゃないかぁ！」%K%P
The oil from your fingers will rub off!

こころ「あ、ご、ごめんなさ――……」%K%P
Ah, s, sorr――...

謝ろうとした、その時――%K%P
I tried to apologize, and at that instant――