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Show Notes
青豆は砧の近くで近くでたくしーを拾い、用賀から首都高速道路３号線に乗った。最初のうち車の流れはスムーズだった。しかし３軒茶屋の手前から急に渋滞が始まり、やがてほとんどぴくりも動かなくなった。下り線は順調に流れている。上り線だけが悲劇的に渋滞している。午後の３時過ぎは通常であれば、三号線の上りが渋滞する時間帯ではない。だからこそ青豆は運転手に、首都高速に乗ってくれと指示したのだ。
「高速道路では時間料金は加算されません」と運転手はミラーに向かって言った。「だらか料金のことは心配しなくて良いです。でもお客さん、持ち合わせに遅くれると困るでしょう？」
「もちろん困るけど、でも手の打ちようもないんでしょう？」
運転手はミラーの中の青豆の顔をちらりと見た。彼は淡い色合いのサングラスをかけていた。
光の加減で、青豆の方からは実情がうかがえない
「あのですね、方法が全くないってわけじゃないんです。いささか強引な非常手段になりますが、ここから電車で渋谷まで行くことはできます」
「非常手段」
「あまりおおっぴらには言えない方法ですが」
青豆は何も言わず、目を細めたまま話の続きを待った。
「ほら、あの先に車を寄せるスペースがあるでしょう」と運転手は前方を指して言った。「エッソの大きさ看板が立っているあたりです」
青豆がめをこらすと２車線の道路の左側に、故障車を停めるためのスペースが設置されているのが見えた。首都高速道路には路肩がないから、ところどころにそういう緊急避難場所が設け（２０）られている。
Aomame picked up the taxi near Kinuta and took the Metropolitan Expressway No. 3 from Yoga. At first, the flow of traffic was smooth. But suddenly, just before Sangenjaya, the traffic jam began, and soon it hardly moved at all. The down line was flowing smoothly. Only the up line was tragically congested. Normally, after three o'clock in the afternoon it is not a time when Line No. 3 gets jammed. That's why Aomame had instructed the driver to take the expressway.
"The expressway doesn't charge by time," the driver said, looking in the mirror. "So you don't need to worry about the fare. But, if you're late for your appointment, it would be a problem, wouldn't it?"
"Of course it would be a problem, but there's nothing we can do, right?"
The driver glanced at Aomame's face in the mirror. He was wearing light-colored sunglasses.
Because of the way the light fell, Aomame couldn't make out the real situation.
"You know, it's not that there is no way at all. It would be a bit of a forceful emergency measure, but you can take the train to Shibuya from here."
"An emergency measure?"
"It's a method I can't speak of too openly."
Without saying anything, Aomame narrowed her eyes and waited for him to continue.
"Look, there's a space up ahead where cars can pull over," the driver pointed ahead. "It's around where the large Esso sign is."
Aomame strained her eyes and saw that on the left side of the two-lane road, there was a space set up for broken-down vehicles. The Metropolitan Expressway has no shoulders, so such emergency refuge areas are set up here and there.
Interesting Vocabulary:
- 砧 (きぬた): Kinuta (place name)
- 首都高速道路 (しゅとこうそくどうろ): Metropolitan Expressway
- 渋滞 (じゅうたい): Traffic jam
- 故障車 (こしょうしゃ): Broken-down car
- 看板 (かんばん): Signboard
- 緊急避難場所 (きんきゅうひなんばしょ): Emergency refuge area
- 加算 (かさん): Addition, charge
- 指示 (しじ): Instruction, directive
- 通常 (つうじょう): Normally, usually
- 時間帯 (じかんたい): Time zone, period
- 方法 (ほうほう): Method, way
- 強引 (ごういん): Forceful, pushy
- 非常手段 (ひじょうしゅだん): Emergency measure
- 路肩 (ろけん): Road shoulder
- 設ける (もうける): To establish, to provide
- 加減 (かげん): Adjustment, degree
- 寄せる (よせる): To pull over, to draw near
- 想像 (そうぞう): Imagine, suppose
- 細める (ほそめる): To narrow (eyes)
- 救い (すくい): Aid, relief
- 判断 (はんだん): Judgment, decision
- 通過 (つうか): Passing through
- 加算 (かさん): Additional charge
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