“What?” Mika gawked at him. “Did you literally play the entire flight?”
“Well, yeah.”
Mika was impressed, but Mom and Dad exchanged a look.
“I hope you two are still planning on exploring Tokyo,” Mom said wryly. “We didn’t come all this way for you to be on your phones the whole time.”
“But that’s what’s so great about OlympiFan.” Andy grabbed his suitcase, and he and Mika followed their parents into the hotel. “Sightseeing is a part of it, because you have to visit all these different places to find all the clues, and—”
“Karen Kudo!”
Andy fell quiet as he and Mika stared at the young man hurrying toward Mom. He had cropped black curls, brown skin, and a broad smile that Mika recognized instantly.
“Oh my god, that’s Wesley Brooks!” she whispered to Andy, whose eyes widened in recognition. Mika vividly remembered seeing replays of Wesley’s near-flawless gymnastics performances in the 2012 Olympics, where he’d won two silver medals. Plus, he was really charming in his interviews.
“So great to finally meet you in person,” Wesley was saying as he shook Mom’s hand. “Hana and I are thrilled to be working with Compete during the Games.”
“I’m really glad to have you both on board,” Mom said, returning his smile. “Wesley, this is my husband, Tom, and our kids, Andy and Mika.”
Mika felt her face turn red as Wesley aimed his dazzling smile at her.
“Good to meet you all,” he said, shaking Dad’s hand enthusiastically, then Andy’s, then Mika’s. She managed a small squeak in response, already mentally composing a text to Riley about this. “Oh, here’s Hana!”
He stepped to the side and gestured to a woman hurrying across the lobby, black ponytail swinging with every step. Mika thought she looked vaguely familiar, too. Was she another Olympic athlete?
“Hana Takahashi, this is Karen Kudo from Compete.” Wesley made the introductions this time. When he got to Mika, he must have caught the questioning look on her face, because he leaned down and added in a stage whisper: “Swimmer, Team Japan.”
Hana arched an eyebrow. “So you recognized Wesley, but not me?” she teased, a light accent rounding her words.
Mika felt her face flame up again. “I, um, well, I’ve seen him online . . .”
But Hana was laughing. “It’s okay. I’m not obsessed with social media like Wesley is.”
“I’m not obsessed,” Wesley argued good-naturedly. “I’m accessible. I don’t think this one has ever tweeted,” he added to Mom. “If we’re going to be covering the Games on Compete’s social media accounts, you and I might have to teach her a few things—like what Instagram even is.”
Hana scrunched her nose. “That’s the one with the pictures, right?” Her expression made it clear that she was joking, and everyone laughed. Mika’s heart gave an extra-hard thump as she thought of the apps she’d downloaded before their flight—the photo-editing one, and the other one. The one Andy hadn’t seen.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Mom told Hana with a grin.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Hana said, returning the smile. “I might not tweet, but that doesn’t mean I’m not tech savvy. So we have a meeting in about half an hour, right? Six o’clock?”
Mom nodded. “That’s right—the conference room on the third floor. I’ll see you both there?”
“Absolutely!” Wesley gave them a cheery wave, and Hana nodded and smiled. Mika still felt a little starstruck as she and Andy followed their parents to the reception desk. While Mom and Dad checked in, she opened the browser on her phone. A moment later, she nudged Andy.
“Hana won two gold medals in London!” Mika whispered, showing him the article she’d found. “In the freestyle and the butterfly races. And she’s so nice! Wesley, too!”
Andy looked amused. “Did you think they’d be snobby or something?”
“I don’t know! I’ve never met anyone famous before.”
“Room keys!” Mom turned around, handing Andy and Mika each a card. “We’re in suite 406.”
“Ooh, a suite?” Mika asked excitedly. “I didn’t know you were going to get all fancy.”
Mom smiled. “Not so much ‘fancy’ as getting separate rooms so you guys don’t have to deal with Dad’s snoring.”
Giggling, Mika grabbed her suitcase and headed toward the elevators with her family. For the first time, she took a good look around the lobby. A pretty marble fountain stood in the middle, and trees with wide branches and thick green leaves seemed to grow right out of the glittering gray marble tiles. An escalator led up to the second floor, its rails glowing blue, then green, then yellow. Mika caught a glimpse of a café, some restaurants, and a few small shops on the second floor before the elevator doors slid shut.
“What’s that, Dad?” Andy asked. Mika turned to see Dad studying a small piece of paper.
“Someone left a message with the concierge asking me to call as soon as I arrived,” Dad said, brow furrowed. “A woman named Emi Suzuki. I know I’ve heard that name before, but I can’t place it.”
Ping! The doors slid open, and they headed down the hall to room 406, where Mom scanned her key card. Mika followed her inside eagerly. The rooms weren’t very big, but really nice—one with two twin beds for Andy and Mika, and another one with a big bed, plus a desk and a window with a nice view of the bustling street below.
Mika tossed her backpack onto a twin bed, then flipped the switch on one of the lamps. Nothing. Frowning, she tried the other lamp, then joined her parents in their room.
Dad was already on the phone, so Mika kept her voice low. “I don’t think the lights work!”
Mom glanced up and smiled. “Oh, right—the receptionist mentioned this. Check it out!”
Mika and Andy watched as Mom slid her key card into an electric holder next to the door. The overhead lights came on, and through the doorway to her and Andy’s room, Mika saw the two lamps come on as well.
“It’s eco-friendly!” Mom explained, leaving her card in the holder and returning to unpacking her suitcase. “When you leave the room, you take your key card out and all of the lights turn off. Big energy saver!”
“That’s really cool!” Mika’s eyes fell on the minifridge, and her stomach growled louder than ever. She hurried over to check the contents, then groaned. “Empty. Mom, do we have time to get something to eat before your meeting? I know you said we have a dinner reservation at eight, but that’s almost two whole hours from now.”
“Dad will take you guys to get something to eat as soon as he’s off the phone,” Mom replied, glancing over at Dad. “I’m going to be pretty busy working this whole trip, but lucky for you guys, your dad’s a great tour guide.”
“Absolutely, yes!” Dad’s voice rose, and the three of them glanced over at him. He was nodding and jotting something down on the little pad of paper next to the phone. “Right . . . right. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Thanks again!” He hung up and turned to the others, his face filled with excitement. “Emi Suzuki is a publicist I met years ago on a press trip to Singapore,” he said, adjusting his glasses. “She’s working for Chef Kenji Abe. He’s opening a new restaurant next week here in Tokyo, and Emi wants me to write a profile of him and review opening night!”
Mom’s eyes widened. “Oh, I think I’ve heard of Kenji . . . Wasn’t he on one of those cooking competition shows? Kitchen Crashers, or something like that?”
“Yup,” Dad confirmed. “He’s already a celebrity here. And he’s notoriously private—Emi actually sounded kind of frustrated with how much he dislikes publicity. Apparently he’s just very shy. But he knows he needs press for this opening, and Emi heard I was in town for the Olympics because . . .” Dad trailed off, blinking at Mom. “Because my wife is covering the Games. And we brought our kids. Um. I probably shouldn’t have agreed to run over there
without talking it over with you guys first.”
Mika couldn’t help but giggle, and Mom shook her head. “It’s a fantastic opportunity,” she said. “You should absolutely go. Andy and Mika can come to the meeting with me, and—”
“Or we can just go to the restaurant with Dad! I can totally review his food.” Mika’s stomach rumbled yet again, and she pointed to it. “See? I’m ready!”
Dad smiled, although he was running his fingers through his hair the way he did when he was stressed out. “The restaurant isn’t open yet, honey. This is just an introductory meeting for us to chat about the angle of the profile I’d be writing—he’s taking a break from testing recipes, and Emi said this is the only time he has to meet.”
“There’s probably someplace to eat close to the restaurant,” Andy pointed out. “Mika and I could hang out there during your meeting.”
“True, but that’s just tonight,” Dad said. “If Mom and I are both working this whole trip, what will you two do?”
“Play OlympiFan,” Andy said immediately. “Explore Tokyo. Just like we planned!”
“You’ve let us go out on our own before!” Mika added, instantly warming to the idea. “Like in San Francisco, remember? We toured that chocolate factory by ourselves. And last summer in Seattle, Andy and I spent the whole morning on the waterfront while you interviewed that soccer player!”
Mom leaned against the desk and crossed her arms. “True . . . but this is a little different. It sounds like Dad will be super busy with this chef, and my schedule is packed. Tokyo is a really safe city, but you two have never been here before. You could easily get lost.”
“Not with these.” Andy waved his phone triumphantly. “And we can share our locations, so you can see wherever we are all the time!”
He swiped his phone open, and Mika immediately followed suit. A moment later, they held their screens out for their parents to see the map with their blue dots at the hotel. Dad glanced at Mom, and Mika held her breath.
“Please?” Andy asked.
Mom exhaled. “Okay. But first, we need to go over some ground rules.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Andy and Mika hopped out of a taxi and waited for Dad to pay the driver. Mika gazed up at the buildings towering overhead, turning in a circle before examining the one they’d stopped in front of. The sun was starting to set, pink and orange light reflecting off the steel-and-glass building.
“Doesn’t look like a restaurant,” she said when Dad joined them.
“It’s on the top floor.” Dad gave Andy a pointed look. “Are you sure you have everything?”
Andy looked confused for a moment. Then he rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’ve got my phone and my portable charger.”
“Me too!” Mika chimed in.
“And you have the name and address of our hotel in your phones?”
“Yes!” Andy said.
“Perfect.” Dad glanced at his watch. “Okay. Meet back here in forty-five minutes, and stay on this block. Be safe, and have fun!”
“Thanks, Dad!” Mika gave him a quick hug, and Andy waved as Dad headed inside. Then Andy turned to Mika, and his wide grin mirrored her own.
“We’re free!” she yelled, pumping her fist in the air. “For almost an hour, anyway.”
Brightly colored advertisements covered the first few floors of the buildings, and even more banners hung higher up. Shoppers bustled around them, and Mika spotted more than a few Olympic T-shirts and hats. She wondered how many tourists visited a city just to attend the Olympics.
Andy already had his phone out and OlympiFan open. “Which way should we go first?” he said excitedly. “I already messaged Devon and Riley which area we’re playing in.”
Mika clutched her stomach. “I’m going in the direction of food,” she informed him. “Nose, be my guide!” She turned and marched down the sidewalk, sniffing the air like Lily and Po did when she opened a can of dog food. Andy followed her, holding his phone out. Mika could see the blue footprints on the bottom of his screen as they drew closer to the intersection.
“Aha!” she cried, pointing.
Andy looked up. “What? Do you see a clue?”
“Without my phone?” Mika snickered. “No—there’s food over there!”
She hurried toward the shop at the end of the block, which had a red canopy featuring a cute cartoon of a little purple creature with a big smile. Mika’s stomach practically roared in response to the delicious smells wafting out. She pulled the yen from her backpack and studied the menu. Then she looked up at the man behind the counter, who smiled down at her and said something in Japanese.
Suddenly, Mika felt shy. Every single useful phrase in Japanese she’d practiced over the last few months flew out of her head. She smiled tentatively back at the server, then pointed at the menu.
“Takoyaki?” the server asked encouragingly. His gaze fell on Andy, who had just walked up. “Nan mai?”
Nan mai. Mika knew that one. “How many!” she cried triumphantly. “Two. Um. I mean, ni.”
“Ni?” The server held up two fingers, and Mika nodded, relieved. As he turned around to prepare their order, Mika grinned proudly at Andy.
“I did it! I ordered!”
“Yeah, but what did you order?” Andy asked.
“Ta-ko-ya-ki,” Mika said slowly. “I think that’s what he called it.”
“Yeah, but what is it?”
“It’s food.” Mika inhaled deeply. “I would eat literally anything right now.”
“Even Brie?” Andy teased.
Mika pulled a face. Dad loved fancy cheeses—the smellier the cheese, the more he loved it. Mika couldn’t understand it at all.
“Maybe not anything,” she admitted.
“I’m looking it up,” Andy decided, opening a browser on his phone. “Takoyaki . . . aha! It’s—”
The server reappeared holding out two paper trays, each containing eight grilled balls covered in both white and brown sauce. Mika accepted hers eagerly, and Andy took the other.
“Arigato,” he said, glancing at Mika. “Um, Mika?”
But Mika had already taken a giant bite of takoyaki. “Hot!” she exclaimed, although it came out “Awt!”
“Atsui,” the server said with a grin. “Hot.”
Mika nodded emphatically. “Aw-ee-gaw-do,” she tried to say around the mouthful of food. The server laughed.
“So, any idea what you’re eating?” Andy asked as they sat on the bench outside the shop.
Mika ate thoughtfully. With a light crispy texture on the outside, the ball was soft, chewy, and creamy on the inside. It was fishy and a little bit spicy thanks to the sauces. Shrugging, she popped a second one in her mouth.
“Whatever it is, I love it.”
“It’s octopus,” Andy told her, holding out his phone.
Mika paused midchew. She glanced back at the sign hanging in front of the shop. The little purple creature beamed back at her, and she realized it had eight little tentacles. “Ah.”
“Still love it?” Andy asked, grinning.
Mika had to admit, she might not have tried takoyaki if she’d known it was octopus. But she was glad she hadn’t known, because it turned out octopus was delicious! Maybe Dad was right about some foods. She popped another one in her mouth, then pointed to Andy’s tray.
“Mm-hmm. Are you going to eat yours, or can I have them?”
OLYMPIFAN UPDATE!
Special message from the Masked Medalist
Hello, OlympiFans!
I hope you’re all enjoying the Games—and our game, too. I miss the excitement of competing, but watching all of you play my game has been a thrill! That’s right, barely one day in Tokyo, and I’ve already seen OlympiFans on the streets, searching for clues.
Did any of you see me?
CHAPTER FIVE
ANDY
ANDY HAD TO admit, takoyaki was delicious. He ate six of them, then gave in to Mika’s pleading puppy-dog eyes and let her finish off his last two. After looking around for a trash can with no luck, they stuffed their paper trays, chopsticks, and napkins in Mika’s backpack.
“I don’t see any litter,” Mika said as Andy opened OlympiFan. “There’s got to be trash cans somewhere, or the streets wouldn’t be so clean!”
Andy was already walking, eyes glued to his phone. “I’m sure we’ll find one eventually. Come on, we only have half an hour to circle the block!”
Playing in AR was cooler than Andy had expected—even better than VR mode, since they were actually in the city. Through his screen, Andy saw the street ahead of him bustling with people—spotting the little animations was difficult thanks to the crowd. There were the footprints at the bottom of the screen (that still hadn’t changed from blue to yellow). But when he focused on a particular spot, one of those “fun fact” bubbles would pop up, containing a piece of trivia. Andy kept swiveling his phone this way and that to read them, and he made a mental note to show Dad this feature.
Did you know Shinjuku has the busiest train station in the world?
This bakery is famous for its tasty cream puffs.
Kaiju alert—heads up for Godzilla!
Andy stopped, staring at that last animation. Then he tilted his head back and let out a surprised laugh. “Mika, look!”
His sister followed his gaze. “What? I don’t—oh!”
Just around the corner, the massive head of Godzilla loomed over the roof of a hotel. Its mouth was open, sharp teeth exposed as it glared down at the street below.
“That is awesome,” Mika said fervently. “Hang on, I’ve gotta take a picture . . .”
Andy waited as Mika snapped a few photos. He lifted his phone and framed Godzilla in the screen to see if OlympiFan had anything else to say about the monster—then his eyes went to the bottom of the screen.
Kudo Kids--The Mystery of the Masked Medalist Page 4