SSSS.GRIDMAN Short Story: Diamond in the Notebook/Full Translation

This page contains the full translation of , a short novel written in the .
==Plot==
While on his way home from school. Sho Utsumi suddenly looks up at the sky and remembers a conversation from that one day.
Akane Shinjo. Even while reading (a book), she's a class idol who boasts a slightly overwhelming appearance. Totally out of his league.
Meeting her at a bookstore by chance, he learns that she's also a Tokusatsu Otaku like him.
Mustering the courage to invite her at a coffee shop, the two hit it off immediately by talking about Kaiju nonstop, but...
"Aren't Kaiju the main characters? But why are they always seen in the role to get their butts kicked? Isn't that right?"
Akane said so while pointing to the amazing warriors who graced the covers of Tokusatsu magazines.
At that time, something didn't seem right... he felt a sense of confusion akin to anxiety.
In retrospect... it was only natural that he didn't show interest in anything other than Kaiju.
She ―― is the one who brings Kaiju into existence.
After sighing several times, Utsumi arrived at the Junk Shop "Aya".
This is Rikka Takarada's home, as well as the so-called secret base of the Gridman Alliance.
"-Sup!"
He entered the store while saying hello.
His best friends Yuta Hibiki and Rikka were sitting side by side on the sofa in the coffee shop space. Meanwhile, he pulled himself to the side table and took out his notebooks and print-outs.
"Hmm... Yuta, you're not finishing your homework yet?"
"Yup, it's so hard that I can't move on the next one... so I have to ask Rikka to teach me this or something."
As Utsumi asked him that, Yuta shyly scratched his head. He's like a puppy.
He still seemed to have a hard time keeping up with classes due to his amnesia.
As for Rikka, she doesn't look like she's a tutor at all when she's lazily laying her back on a sofa while listening to music with her earphones on, but...... she's occasionally peeking at Yuta's notebook.
The Neon Genesis Junior High Students; Samurai・Calibur, Max, Borr and Vit, were sitting at the counter table. Everyone was relaxing in their own way, and even Calibur was lying down with his chin on the counter. He's like a cat who has too much free time.
For a moment, he thought that if he had free time, he should help Yuta study, but... for someone with no academic ability and seemingly unmotivated, Rikka seemed to be much more reliable and even Yuta was happy with that too.
Utsumi sat down on the chair in front of the second-hand computer "Junk".
The monitor lights up, showing Gridman. He can't bear to even look at each other, so he took out a Tokusatsu magazine from his bag and start reading.
Utsumi turned around after hearing the clicking of someone's tongue.
"Oi Utsumi. Don't show him your Tokusatsu magazine, or else Gridman will be troubled."
Borr stared while accused him of such.
"Well it's not like Gridman is going to see this thing anyway."
"No, you're appealing him to it. It's so obvious, especially when you hold that magazine at an angle where he can clearly see the cover!"
"Huh?! That's not what I intend to do to him! And this isn't a magazine, it's a Tankobon! Moreover, a Super Complete Works!"
Utsumi denied it while he's upset.
Calibur stared while he rested at the counter.
"Yu- Yuta is- studying."
"Utsumi and Borr, can you please be quiet?"
Max continued and calmly reprimanded them.
"Ah... but look, Yuta's focusing to someone next to him."
As Utsumi pointed out, Yuta was working on his homework without paying attention to his noisy surroundings. If looked closely, he smiled.
"Shouldn't he be concentrating on the table?"
Vit made a reasonable remark. Well, Yuta would be fine for now.
"And Rikka next to him.... it looks like she and her earphone are seemingly in a state as if both are in a noise-cancelling mode."
On the other hand, it's certainly not good to make too much noise, so Utsumi calmly sat back in his chair. Then he started reading again.
<-Super Complete Works, huh? So how is it look like?->
Then, unexpectedly, Gridman spoke to him.
"Eh, Gridman, are you interested in this kind of book too?"
Utsumi excitedly approached the monitor and held up the cover so that Gridman could easily see it.
<-No, not really... but I asked because it was right in front of me.->
Gridman clenched his fist in front of his chest and appealed sincerity.
Utsumi dropped his shoulders in disappointment as his expression filled with anticipation changed.
"This book is a whole collection of data for a single work/story. If a magazine emphasizes the latest information, then this book is the culmination of a single story."
Even after listening to Utsumi's explanation, Gridman didn't seem to be able to grasp the outline.
“For example Gridman, if you were to be in this book's cover.... maybe you'll be practicing for a pose?"
Utsumi hurriedly stopped Gridman when he began to search for a pose that he forced himself to do. Even though it's cool enough in its usual stance...
"If Gridman appears on the front of this book's cover, that means anyone will know about you from a single book――that's the kind of book it should be. And that's what I like about it."
Ever since Utsumi was a small boy, he didn't know that the TV show he watched is fictional, but every time he read a book and gained a piece of knowledge, he felt like he was getting closer to the existence he admired.
And he also felt like he's a part of that story.
Even though he grew up and begins to know a lot about reality, that didn't changed him much.
"And I also want a book like this about Gridman. ......It feels like talking about the existence of this (story's) world in reality."
Feeling embarrassed by his words, which began to take on a feverish tone, Utsumi smiled helplessly.
The entire shop was covered in silence.
The silence was broken by a stuttering but powerful voice.
"If you like it, th- then why don't you make one yourself?"
"Eh... me?"
"I- if you need it, don't rely on, someone else. Make one... on your own."
Calibur gives the impression of being a man of few words, but he sometimes comes up with opinions that are strangely right on the mark.
"...Satisfy one's needs on their own, that is truly the ultimate form of an Otaku... Alright! I'm gonna make a "Gridman Super Complete Works", so I'll ask for your help since you're the one suggesting it to me!"
Utsumi was inspired by Calibur's words. He took out a mechanical pencil and a suitable notebook from his bag to start off with the "data collecting".
"So what kind of drill that Borr-san uses actually is?"
"Huh?"
"Well, I've been wondering what kind of drilling tank mecha are you supposed to be, since I never seen the Buster Borr digging into the underground."
"It's not like we ever faced a Kaiju from underground, so what are you going to do with it?"
"Like I said Borr-san, how far can you dig?"
"Are you a fool? I can't, if I could dig deeper into a planet, to where... the core? If I could, I could've gone that far. I wouldn't do that because that'll endanger the Earth itself."
Borr confidently fold his arms and lean backwards.
"...if (Borr) digs too deep, then he'll endanger the Earth."
Utsumi jotted down Borr's answer in his notebook.
"Ohhh, write that down, write that down. Also, write down that the Twin Lasers coming out from the tip of my drills can also blow away the entire moon in one shot."
Borr said that with a triumphant face while Max stared intensely. He had an amazing eyesight.
"And Calibur-san... only you can feel the sword's right?"
"Yup. As the Gridman Calibur... I can cut anything."
Calibur answered with a straight face, but as an interviewer, Utsumi would like it to be a little more specific.
"For example, can you cut diamonds too?"
The reason Utsumi asked that kind of question was that if this kind of data had a clear target over what coulf be cut/destroyed, it'll be immediately easier to understand how amazing it was.
"I- I can do that."
He quickly answered. He seemed to be a more amazing sword than Utsumi thinks.
"Heh, but wouldn't it be a waste if you cut diamonds?"
"Yuta, continue doing your homework. On the contrary, aren't there any things that can't be sliced?"
Utsumi turned around and reprimanded Yuta before he returned to question Calibur. He's very busy.
"Tha-that's kinda right. I do have something that I can't cut. That's..."
"...That is?"
Utsumi held his breath and waited for an answer, but Calibur was reluctant to say anything beyond that.
Silence enveloped the store. Then a few minutes passed.
Utsumi can't stand the silence and decided to give his own nifty example.
"Ca- Cat's claws--" "The bonds between people--umm, timing, perhaps!!"
He had a hard time coming up with words.
"Y-you kinda right there, Utsumi."
"You tried to come up with something funny, but you couldn't make it up with it right away, right? Calibur, I want to record it into the document so please don't lie, okay?"
Max stared intensely at Calibur and the smugly Borr. He does have an amazing eyesight.
"But it's a good thing that you're trying to get on board, Calibur-san."
Utsumi added "Things that cannot be cut: cat's claws" to Calibur's section.
This way, it shouldn't be a restraint during combat... in other words, it's easy for children to understand one's weak point without actually making their image weaker.
"How about you, Vit-san? Since you're a speedy fighter (jet), you're probably confident in your full speed. Mach? I wish I can know this a bit more, Mach-something...three five....! One two something or so?
"Who knows? I myself never know about those things. As long as I can fly a little faster than the enemy we're fighting, isn't that enough?"
"Oooh. Your comment does sounds simple, but it's surprisingly cool."
While it does sounds confusing, but Utsumi was impressed.
Vit's easy-going policy must have led to his smart fighting style.
It's not that he's someone who hates sweating, he's just the type to sweat only when it's necessary.
"And now, it's my turn."
Clearing his throat exaggeratedly, Max stared at Utsumi. His eyesight maxed as he approached the boy.
"For starters, I want to tell not just Utsumi, but also everyone involved. Analyzing individual abilities... I do believe that's necessary too. But there are also other things needed to take account for. At times, we faced our battles by demonstrating power that exceeds our original specifications. That is the proof that we have hearts—”
“Hold it, can you keep your comments short, cause the number of pages is limited.”
"Even though this is a Super Complete Works... is the number of page really that short?"
Max gets depressed when Utsumi interrupted his speech.
"About Max-san... anyway, you have the impression of being strong."
"With a solid body, you're pretty confident with your power--"
Max folded his arms and closed his eyes.
"Once I combine with Gridman, his attack power will greatly increases. Borr provides firepower, Vitt provides mobility, Calibur provides slashing power... but rather than our own individual powers, I believe that we can only show our true worth by fusing with Gridman."
Max seems to look like a coordinator for the Neon Genesis Junior High School. As demonstrated, he often emphasizes unity, especially fighting "as a team".
"I agree that Gridman and the others can be powerful just by combining together~"
And those words were definitely credible for Utsumi, who continued to watch the battle.
"That is kind of right, so it won't make sense if combining makes us weaker. After all, the Powered Zenon resulted from our combination is also strong."
Borr explained through his harsh words.
<-Yes. As I was listening to everyone's explanations, it's all because of that I was able to review everyone's characteristics again. I'm grateful to Utsumi.->
"Gridman, you really are a nice guy....! Alright Gridman, now it's your turn to explain about yourself!!"
<-I don't know exactly what kind of things I can crush, how powerful my technique is... I'm not quite sure about myself, but is it okay with you?->
"Of course! If Gridman is the one who speaks, then the data is at it's most realiable."
<-All right. Then ask me anything.->
Gridman didn't remember everything yet. Or rather, it's possible that his understanding of his own strength is even more ambiguous than his companion Assist Weapons.
But still, Gridman told Utsumi a lot of things.
<-My height, huh? My output limit is seventy-something meters but the bigger I get, the greater my consumption of energy-->
The information he conveyed sometimes stuttering and irrelevant to the question. However, he spoke seriously and gently at the same time.
There's also an act in which Utsumi got excited when he heard about certain powers he had yet to see and wondered if they even exists.
While explaining the Grid Beam, he even demonstrate the pose.
"How much spirit does that Gridman guy displayed just from giving his services....."
"Hmm, he seems to be the kind of talkative?"
Borr and Vitt watched Utsumi and the others exchanging smiles.
"But that kindness is... the Hyper Agent Gridman's greatest strength."
While muttering that, Max gently looked at Utsumi. He is kind, but his eyesight is amazing.
"Ki- kindness is one of the things that I can't cut."
Calibur forcibly quoted Utsumi's lines and tried to say something nice.
--When he finally finished talking about everything, Gridman calmly spoke to Utsumi.
<-That's a token of our gratitude to you for cooperating with us. We will always in your notebook.->
".....n"
Utsumi smiled sadly. His eyes understood what Gridman meant.
He felt that not only Gridman but also Borr and the others were strangely cooperative... Maybe they also had the same kindness.
"...Hmmm. You're working hard, Utsumi-kun. You took the time to write a memo about Gridman."
"Wow! Rikka-san's stealthiness is dangerous."
Utsumi jumped up when Rikka talked, who was standing behind him. She had already removed her earphones, but since when had she been listening to the conversation?
"But shouldn't that kind of thing is also need to include the Kaiju we fight against? I don't know."
"That's an amazing opinion... I knew it that lending you a Tokusatsu magazine from before was worth it! Of course I'll write them down now!"
Rikka diverted her eyes elsewhere. She can't say that she haven't read it once because she borrowed it and put it in her bag.
"Alright! I also finished my homework, I'll take my leave now, Utsumi!"
Yuta stood up from the sofa and bravely raises his left arm.
He looked like he's going to Access Flash at any moment.
When Utsumi can't figure out what's really going on,
“Hibiki-kun, try writing about yourself here.”
Rikka pointed it out with a wry smile.
Of course, he should be the first person to appear in the character introduction of Gridman Super Complete Works. Utsumi naturally burst into a smile when he saw Yuta smiling shyly.
And that's how Junk becomes lively from before, getting livelier after that--
While studying at home, Utsumi suddenly thinks about opening the drawer at his desk.
He picks up the notebook stored in there and looks at the back cover.
He wants to be together with them forever. But wishing for that means coexisting with those disastrous Kaiju forever. Therefore, it shouldn't be allowed.
That's how the existence of Sho Utsumi's beloved superhuman looked like. That's also how Kaiju looked like.
But their memories-- will never disappear. And can never be reset.
The diamond-like times they spent together in that place will remain forever.
Even so, when his memories of those times are about to fade... he opens this notebook.
A collection of data written only with a mechanical pencil on the other side of his math notebook.
But this, is the only book-
[The End]
Category:GRIDMAN UNIVERSE
Category:SSSS.GRIDMAN
Category:Novels