His footprints were yellow.
“We’re close to a clue!” Andy yelped, and Mika swiveled around to look at him.
“What? Really?”
“Yeah, come on!” He took off down the sidewalk, dodging pedestrians and keeping his eyes on the footprints. The closer he got to the hotel with the Godzilla, the more vivid the yellow footprints became. The moment he reached the entrance, the footprints began to change colors.
“They’re turning pink!” Mika cried, and Andy saw she had her app open, too. The siblings dashed into the lobby, sweeping their phones around frantically to try to spot the clue. Andy forced himself to slow down, taking in the polished wood floors, the stylish sitting areas with elegant bookshelves, the concierge desk, and the statue of Godzilla lumbering past a few knee-high skyscrapers.
“Look! I bet it’s over there.” Andy hurried over to the roped-off statue. He stopped in front of it and framed Godzilla in his screen. His heart leapt when he saw a tiny animated note fluttering over the monster’s head. Andy tapped it, and the note zoomed toward him, opening to reveal a dark green square. A second later, Team MADR’s clue collection page opened, and the square joined the others. Andy watched, pleased, as the colors shuffled around again.
“Yesss!” Mika cheered. “Can I take your picture in front of Godzilla? We should document our first clue in Tokyo!”
Andy obliged, kneeling down and pretending to cower at Godzilla’s feet while Mika giggled and snapped the shot.
After leaving the hotel, Andy and Mika headed around the block, circling back to the restaurant where they were meeting Dad. This street had even bigger ads and banners looming overhead. Most of these were digital, Andy noticed, which looked really cool but made it even harder to spot the animations when they popped up on his screen. Something new caught his eye: a tiny question mark, moving down the street toward him. As it passed, Andy tapped on it, and a message appeared.
Player: TilerMyths
Clues collected: 172
Team: Cryptic (2)
Total clues collected: 178
Current ranking: 8
You must friend this player to see their profile. Send friend request?
YES NO
Andy stopped walking. “Mika, look at this,” he said, showing her his screen. “This guy’s team only has two players, but somehow they’ve found a hundred and seventy-eight clues!”
“Hmm, wow.” Mika sounded distracted.
“TilerMyths . . . I’ve seen that name before. I think this guy plays S-Cape, too! He’s collected most of the clues by himself, his teammate must not . . .”
Andy stopped, because Mika was gazing up at the digital billboard directly across the street. He looked to see a giant image of a family watching the opening ceremony on television, just like the Kudos had done the night before. Two women sat on a couch, one with a gap-toothed toddler on her lap. A boy a few years younger than Andy sat cross-legged on the floor at their feet, waving a Canadian flag. All four of them looked completely riveted by the ceremony. It was a pretty cool shot, Andy had to admit—whoever took it had managed to show the television in the mirror hanging behind the couch without capturing their own reflection. The Enspire logo appeared over the image, followed by an Instagram handle and #TeamWorld.
When the ad vanished, replaced by an image of a Paralympic swimmer with blond hair, Mika finally tore her gaze away from the billboard. She caught Andy watching her and blushed.
“What?”
Andy raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay? You looked like you were in a trance or something.”
“No, I just . . . that Enspire contest is really cool, that’s all.”
“What contest?”
Mika looked flustered. “You know, we saw a commercial for it during the opening ceremony. They’re doing this Instagram campaign where people post photos that ‘capture the spirit of unity during the Olympic Games,’” she explained, wiggling her fingers like air quotes. “You just add #TeamWorld to enter the contest, and if they like your picture, they include it in their ads.” Mika gestured to the billboard again. “I mean, whoever posted that just had their picture on a giant billboard in the middle of Tokyo! Isn’t that so cool?”
“Yeah, I guess.” Andy started walking again, and Mika kept up next to him. He couldn’t help but notice that his sister sounded weirdly nervous. Why did she care so much about some sportswear company’s commercials? He was about to say something more, but then yellow footprints caught his eye. “Oh hey, we’re close to another clue!”
Mika seemed relieved for the change of subject. The siblings turned back onto the street where they’d started, but on the opposite end from the takoyaki shop. The footprints began to glow brighter as they passed several small manga shops, all with flashy neon signs and cardboard cutouts of anime characters in the front windows. There was a commotion up ahead, and pedestrians started moving out of the way. Andy and Mika stepped up onto the curb as the same rowdy group of teens that had almost run them over outside of the hotel came charging down the street.
“Hi, Sabine!” Mika yelled, waving both hands over her head. Sabine spotted them and waved as she and her friends flew by.
Quickly, Andy opened the rankings page and scrolled up until he found Team SuperFan. “They’re in third place,” he told Mika. “Two hundred and fifty clues.”
His stomach flipped over as he said it. Team MADR had some work to do if they were going to find the Bronze medal first.
Mika frowned thoughtfully. “You know, it’s weird that they’re all sticking together. They’d find a lot more clues if they split up, like us—you and me in one location, Devon and Riley in another.”
“Maybe they’re not allowed to split up,” Andy pointed out. “Sabine said it’s a school assignment for them, involving teamwork.”
Before Mika could respond, a tall man with blond hair and a matching beard jogged past, trying to catch up with Team SuperFan. A giant video camera was perched on his shoulder, and his T-shirt read DRISCOLL PRODUCTIONS.
“Hey there! Are y’all playing OlympiFan?” he called after the teens in a Southern accent. The group was whooping too loudly to hear him, and a moment later, they’d disappeared around the corner. “Ah well.” Sighing, the man turned and spotted Andy and Mika, both with their phones in their hands. “Hi! You wouldn’t happen to be OlympiFan players, would you?”
“Yes,” Andy began, then remembered the rules: no talking to strangers, even if they seemed perfectly nice. “Sorry, we’ve got to go. Bye!”
The man said something else, but Andy and Mika were already hurrying down the street. Andy watched the footprints on his phone glow pink as they neared the manga shop Team SuperFan had just left. Mika had a good point: with Devon and Riley playing in VR mode in another location, Team MADR could catch up to Team SuperFan.
Besides, Andy might not need every single clue to solve the first puzzle. He just had to figure out what those squares of color meant. A fresh wave of determination filled him as he and Mika entered the shop. Being a beta tester for the Masked Medalist’s new gaming company was on the line—and Andy was going to make sure Team MADR was victorious.
TEAM ALLEYOOP CHAT ROOM
Beeyanca: GODZILLAAAAAAAA
Feebee: you’re so easily distracted! LOOK FOR CLUES
Beeyanca: BUT GODZILLA!!!
Shellbee: Lolol
Shellbee: Btw I downloaded Zahir Long’s video from the Gallery
Feebee: The basketball player?
Shellbee: Yup! Aaaand guess whose father owns AimBot??
Feebee: What’s AimBot??
Shellbee: A gaming company! Remember playing Zombiez last summer?? Maaybe Zahir decided to design a similar game with an Olympics theme . . .
Feebee: !!!!!
TE
AM GHOSTCADETS CHAT ROOM
CadetRicky: It’s Chiang Li, I’m telling you guys. We don’t even need the hints.
CadetKara: Chiang Li isn’t fluent in English!
CadetRicky: So?
CadetKara: The Masked Medalist’s Instagram posts are always in English!
CadetRicky: Oh.
CadetRicky: Well, maybe he doesn’t write the posts! He could’ve hired someone to run his Instagram!
CadetMadison: I reeeeeally think we need the hints.
TEAM SUPERFAN CHAT ROOM
SabineTheGreat: Great job today, guys! Tomorrow morning: Harajuku. We’ll meet at the Hedgehog Café at 9am sharp!
AgentAngel:
DragonmasterMolly: OMG CAN WE PLAY WITH THE HEDGEHOGS??
SabineTheGreat: Of course!!!
DragonmasterMolly:
IronMatt: See u guys then!
AquaMaria:
CaptainArmando: Yessssss!
SuperZuki: Ok
SuperZuki: We dropped to fifth place btw
SuperZuki: I think we need a better strategy
SuperZuki: Hello?
CHAPTER SIX
MIKA
TWELVE CLUES LATER, Mika and Andy arrived back at the skyscraper where they’d left Dad. He was standing outside talking to a petite middle-aged woman with graying hair and bright red glasses, and a younger man with spiky black hair and a row of tiny black hoop earrings running up each ear. The man remained silent as Andy and Mika approached, arms crossed, fingers drumming on his elbows.
“Hey, guys!” Dad beamed when he saw them. “Come meet Ms. Suzuki and Chef Abe.”
Mika blinked in surprise. Chef Abe looked way younger than she’d expected for someone who was opening his own restaurant. Ms. Suzuki gave Mika a warm smile as she shook her hand, then Andy’s, but Chef Abe just stared at his shoes. His expression was almost bashful.
“Please, call me Emi,” Ms. Suzuki said. “So how are you enjoying Tokyo?”
“It’s amazing,” Mika said excitedly. “I ate takoyaki and saw Godzilla!”
Emi laughed. “I’ve stayed at the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku a few times. It’s marvelous.”
“Plus we found a bunch of clues there,” Andy added. “We were playing OlympiFan. It’s this game that—”
“Oh, trust me, I know all about OlympiFan.” Emi shook her head and smiled. “My nephew is completely obsessed. It’s all he’s talked about for the last month!”
“Gee, I can’t imagine what that’s like,” Dad said jokingly, and Andy rolled his eyes.
Abruptly, Chef Abe turned to Emi and spoke in rapid Japanese. His voice was soft but his tone was urgent.
Emi’s smile remained in place, but Mika thought she saw a flicker of impatience in her expression. “Mochiron,” she said, then turned to Dad. “Chef Abe needs to get back to his kitchen. Thanks again for doing this, Tom. I know it’s very last minute, and we really appreciate it.”
“Thank you,” Dad said emphatically, patting his laptop bag. “I’m really looking forward to getting started on this profile. And I can’t wait for opening night, Chef.”
Chef Abe flashed a quick, almost nervous smile. “Thank you,” he whispered. Then turned and hurried inside the building. Dad turned back to Emi, his expression bewildered.
“I don’t think he likes me.”
Emi gave him a small smile. “He does! He’s just very shy. Unless he’s watching sports—you should hear him when he’s watching a baseball game. He gets so worked up! Cheering one second, then yelling the next. It’s really pretty funny.”
“I can’t imagine him yelling,” Mika said. “He’s so quiet!”
“I have to say, I’m curious to see him in action,” Dad admitted. “He’s pretty young to be managing a kitchen staff.”
“He’s young, but trust me, he’s more than capable of calling the shots. You’ll see!” Emi winked and then hurried after the chef.
Mika snorted. “Does she mean he yells at people or something?”
“That’s hard to imagine,” Dad said, chuckling. “It took a while for me to get him to actually talk during our interview.” Clapping his hands together, he looked from Mika to Andy. “So! Are you two ready for a late dinner, or are you too full of takoyaki?”
“I’m ready!” Mika exclaimed, and her stomach rumbled in agreement.
* * *
Mika totally wanted to explore Tokyo some more after dinner with her family. But before she even finished her soba noodles, her eyelids started drooping. Across the table, Andy yawned so loudly their waiter laughed.
“Jet lag,” Dad said with a grin. “You guys will sleep well tonight!”
“It’s only eight thirty,” Mika protested.
“Which is four thirty in LA,” Mom pointed out. “In the morning.”
Mika wanted to argue, but Andy’s yawn was contagious. Before she knew it, they were back at the hotel, and Mika barely remembered crawling into her bed before falling into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Dad opened the door to Mika and Andy’s room. “Rise and shine!” he said cheerfully. “Don’t want to sleep through your first Olympic event!”
Mika tried to respond, but all that came out was another yawn, as Andy mumbled something incoherent into his pillow.
Dad laughed. “Jet lag is tough the first few days. Best thing to do is get up and at ’em!”
After a quick breakfast at the hotel, the three of them headed for the nearest subway station. Mika liked taking trains and buses when they visited other cities—it was so different from LA, where they went almost everywhere by car. A few stops later, they stepped out onto a platform and headed for the stairs. Mika noticed an ad for Enspire on the wall, and her stomach did a flip-flop. Andy had definitely been looking at her strangely when he’d caught her staring at that billboard. Honestly, she couldn’t blame him, considering she’d been rambling uncontrollably about the contest. Did he suspect what she’d done?
As they exited the station, Andy yawned again. “Did you stay up all night playing OlympiFan again?” Mika teased, and he rolled his eyes.
“No, but I’m still tired.”
The truth was, Mika still felt pretty sleepy, too. She stifled her own yawn as they walked to the gymnastics arena.
But the moment they entered the atrium, Mika felt a jolt and was wide awake. The place was practically crackling with energy, packed with enthusiastic fans chatting about the Games. Massive flat-screen TVs hung on the walls, all displaying the day’s highlights so far: scenes from weight lifting, tennis, boxing, and swimming events surrounded Mika as she moved through the crowd.
Inside the enormous arena, Dad led them to their seats. Mika sat, then immediately stood up and pointed. “I see Mom!” she cried excitedly. Tables lined both sides of the floor, and Mom was with her two Compete staff writers at a table near the left corner, all stationed behind laptops. Wesley Brooks and Hana Takahashi were there, too.
As Mika looked over the crowd, her mind went back to the Enspire campaign. During the Olympic Games, photos capturing the spirit of unity will be featured in our campaign to be seen throughout Tokyo and the rest of the world . . .
Applause broke out, and Mika snapped back to attention as an American gymnast walked toward the end of the mat and faced the vault. The announcer was speaking, but Mika barely heard him; her heart was suddenly hammering extra hard against her chest. She couldn’t believe she was about to watch an actual Olympic athlete, and Mika was equal parts thrilled to be a spectator and nervous for this girl who’d been working so hard for years to prepare for this moment.
Captivated, the crowd watched as the gymnast raised her arms and smiled confidently. Suddenly, with a look of fierce concentration, she lowered her arms,
and Mika held her breath as the gymnast lunged forward, sprinting toward the vault. Then she was in the air, flipping onto the vault in a handstand and springing up higher than ever, executing a series of what seemed to Mika like a dozen twists in a split second before landing on her feet, spreading her arms wide in triumph.
The crowd burst into cheers, and Mika let out her breath in a whoosh.
“Wow!” exclaimed Andy enthusiastically. Mika nodded, but she couldn’t even speak. She remembered watching the Olympics on TV in the past, but seeing an Olympic event in person was different. Her pulse was still pounding in her ears as the gymnast waited for her score.
Mika thought of the picture she and Andy had seen earlier, the one with the two moms and their kids watching the opening ceremony. She could clearly see why Enspire had chosen it as part of their campaign. The photographer had perfectly captured the looks of wonder on all of their faces. What if Mika could capture this feeling she was experiencing right now in the arena?
She scanned the crowd around her again and noticed two little girls sitting side by side. One had shiny black pigtails and a shirt with a purple unicorn on the front. On her other side was a man Mika assumed was the girl’s father, and both were waving red flags with yellow stars—China, Mika was pretty sure. The second little girl had short, wavy brown hair and tons of freckles covering her nose and cheeks. She sat next to an equally freckly teenager—her sister, Mika guessed—whose sleeve she was tugging on insistently.
Mika watched as the little girl whispered in her sister’s ear. The older girl smiled, then dug around in her purse and pulled out a miniature flag with two vertical red stripes and a maple leaf in the middle, which the little girl took eagerly.
Kudo Kids--The Mystery of the Masked Medalist Page 5