Kudo Kids--The Mystery of the Masked Medalist

by Maia Shibutani

  CadetKara: ^^true. But still interesting that other players think so . . . hmm.

  CadetJames: I wonder if Team Cryptic thinks it’s Chiang? They’re the only ones with the hints so far!

  CadetRicky: IT’S CHIANG, OK

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ANDY

  DP: TilerMyths has over 400 clues now. By himself. His team has 426.

  DP: HOW?!?

  AK: IDK.

  DP: Maybe he’s cheating.

  DP: WAIT. What if he left that note about the pandas??

  AK: ???

  DP: Because you were so close! Maybe it was to distract you or something!

  AK: But anyone could have found it. Mika just happened to see it first.

  AK: Also he was playing VR, remember? He wasn’t there.

  DP: Oh yeah

  DP: His teammate??

  AK: UppeRcase is barely playing! Only collected 26 clues.

  AK: If they win the silver, it won’t matter who gets the gold. Tiler will have four hints. He’ll probably be able to guess who the MM is.

  DP: Any ideas what the sound clips mean?

  AK: Not yet. All I hear are bells, and maybe a whistle

  DP: Yeah same.

  DP: Uh oh, Mom’s coming. If she catches me on my phone after 11 she’ll take it away

  DP: BYE

  Andy gazed absentmindedly at his screen. The idea that TilerMyths might have left the note had made his stomach leap for a moment. After all, Devon’s theory about it being a strategy to distract Andy and slow down their team made sense. But whoever had left the note was obviously in Tokyo, and TilerMyths only played in VR mode.

  Wait.

  Andy stood abruptly. Across the lobby, the elevator doors opened and Mika stepped out. She hurried over, patting her backpack.

  “I can’t believe I almost left without this,” she said before seeing the look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

  “What if TilerMyths left the note?” Andy said, thinking out loud. “This whole time, we were thinking that just because he’s playing VR means he’s not here. But he could be here. He could be here in Tokyo and he just never plays in AR mode.”

  Mika’s face had gone pale. “Why would he do that?”

  “As a strategy.” Andy was speaking faster now. “Think about it. He was there at the park, racing to get to the medal just like the rest of us. But he won in VR mode. Then he left that note about the zoo to throw us off.”

  “But how would he even know I’d find it?”

  “You and I weren’t the only OlympiFan players there,” Andy pointed out. “The whole SuperFan team was there, probably some other players, too; he knew there was a good chance that a player who’d come close to winning the Bronze would find that note.”

  “But that note was meant for me!”

  Andy stared at his sister, noticing for the first time how frightened she looked. “What? Why do you think that?”

  “Because he . . .” Mika glanced away, pressing her lips together. “I don’t know. I just feel like he knew I would find it.”

  Once again, Andy had the feeling his sister wasn’t telling him something. But before he could say anything else, Mom emerged from the conference room at the end of the lobby, followed by Hana Takahashi and Wesley Brooks. “You guys ready?” Mom asked cheerfully as she approached, and Andy and Mika nodded.

  They took the train to the Olympic Stadium, where track-and-field events were going on all day. Hana seemed a bit distracted and quiet today, but Wesley chatted briefly with Andy and Mika, asking them about which events they’d watched so far and what kinds of things they’d done in Tokyo.

  “How was the zoo?” Wesley asked. “We haven’t had a chance to do any fun touristy stuff yet!”

  “It was great.” Andy paused, expecting Mika to chime in, but she seemed unusually subdued. “The okapis were my favorite. Oh, and we found thirty-one clues! For OlympiFan,” he added quickly.

  “Nice!” Wesley said. “Still having fun with that game?”

  “Yeah, it’s awesome.” Andy almost told Wesley about his close call with the Bronze medal, then stopped. That just made him think about the note, and Andy didn’t want to talk about the real reason he and Mika had gone to the zoo. He still felt a rush of guilt every time he thought about it.

  “I was never any good at puzzles,” Wesley said. “But I used to play Dragon Blaze—it’s one of those online role-playing games.”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard of it!” Andy replied eagerly. “Were you good?”

  Wesley shrugged modestly. “I wasn’t too bad. That’s actually how Hana and I got to be friends.” He lowered his voice as their train slowed to a halt. “Her character’s name was Anah the Huntress.”

  “Really?” Andy asked Hana. In response, she pretended to hold a bow and arrow like an archer, her brow scrunched in mock concentration, and he laughed. “Nice name.”

  Hana lowered her arms and grinned. “You have to admit, it’s much cooler than Sir Somer the Salty.”

  “Hey,” Wesley said defensively. “It’s gymnastics-related! I thought it was clever . . .”

  Andy chuckled, then glanced at Mika. She was gazing at an ad over the subway doors, her expression distant. Andy was starting to worry about his sister, but he didn’t want to ask her what was going on in front of Mom.

  He never got a chance at the event, either. Because moments after they entered the arena, Mika said, “Oh look, there’s Emma!”

  Andy and Mom turned to look past rows of spectators. Finally, Andy spotted a familiar-looking girl with curly black hair standing next to a woman who Andy guessed was her mother. Both of them wore yellow-and-green jerseys, each clutching an end of a bright yellow banner that read WE LOVE YOU, ANTONY! in giant green letters.

  “Oh yeah!” Mika turned to Mom, grabbing her arm. “We met her at the Meiji Shrine—she told us her brother’s competing today! Can we go say hi to her, pretty please?”

  Andy thought his sister looked ready to pull out the pitiful sheep bleating if necessary. But Mom was already smiling.

  “I think that would be nice! Meet me right here after the event, okay? And make sure to text me if you need anything.”

  “Thanks, Mom!” Andy and Mika chorused before racing up the steps. Overhead, a deep voice boomed over the intercom, introducing the hurdlers.

  “From Jamaica, Tion Alwood. From Cuba, Marco Alvarez. From Canada, Jason Kim. From South Africa, Antony Botha. From Kenya, Chege Mutahi . . .”

  “Emma! Hi!” Mika exclaimed, and Emma whirled around. For just a second, an odd expression crossed her face. But it was gone a moment later, and Emma beamed at them.

  “Oh! Mika, Andy! Hi!” Emma sounded ready to burst with excitement. “Mom, these are some friends I made the other day, when I went to the shrine, remember?”

  “Hello! You two have perfect timing,” Emma’s mother said with a broad smile. “Our Antony is about to show everyone what he’s made of!”

  “Which one is he?” Andy asked eagerly, staring down at the men now taking their places on the track.

  Emma pointed. “Third from the left,” she said, and Andy spotted him in green-and-yellow shorts and a tank top.

  A hush fell over the crowd as the men crouched, heads bowed, waiting. Suddenly the atmosphere was almost unbearably tense, and Andy found himself wondering what it was like to have that many eyes on you—not just here in the stadium, but all of those cameras broadcasting your performance to countless people around the entire world. Was Antony thinking about that right now? Probably not, Andy decided. He was too focused on the race.

  Bang! At the sound of the shot, the athletes sprang forward while cheers erupted from the crowd. Andy watched as
the athletes leapt over the first, second, and third hurdles in almost perfect unison, marveling at their speed. At the fifth hurdle, a few competitors started to pull ahead, including Antony. By the eighth, two runners surged in front of the pack, hurdling over the last two and crossing the finish line at practically the same time. Antony followed barely a second later, the rest of the athletes not far behind him.

  The crowd roared as the announcer’s voice boomed throughout the stadium. Emma and her mother jumped up and down, screaming and cheering, as Antony slowed to a jog. Even from here, Andy could see the grin on his face. Antony had just won a bronze medal!

  “Yes! Go, Antony!” Mika hollered, jumping up and down just like Emma and her mom. Andy cheered too, amazed at what he’d just witnessed. He laughed as Emma slung her arm around Mika in a half hug, nearly tripping over the backs of the seats in the next row in their enthusiasm. He was relieved to see his sister acting like her normal, happy self again. Maybe he’d been worried about nothing. If something was really wrong, Mika wouldn’t keep it a secret from him.

  * * *

  After the track-and-field events, Emma and her mother were in a hurry to see Antony. “We should hang out later, though!” Emma said, still beaming from ear to ear after her brother’s performance. “Text me, okay?”

  “I will!” Mika promised.

  Mom walked Andy and Mika out of the stadium, where Dad met them. The three of them said goodbye to Mom, then took a taxi to Hamarikyu Gardens in the Shiodome district. There was a library nearby that Dad had wanted to visit for research, so Andy and Mika were going to search for clues while he worked. After going over the rules one more time, Dad waved and headed into the library while Andy and Mika walked to the gardens and started to search.

  Andy spotted a clue at the edge of the pond, quickly adding it to the rest of the sound clips. This one was a little tick-tick sound. Hamarikyu Gardens was turning out to be loaded with clues—they’d already found a dozen in just under an hour. The first one he’d found had been a low, almost supersonic-sounding boom that was barely audible through his phone’s tiny speakers.

  Andy spotted a bench by the water. “Let’s take a break for a sec. We should try listening to our sound clips again.”

  The siblings sat down and plugged in their earbuds. Andy nodded, and they both hit play on their phones at the same time.

  Listening intently, Andy frowned. The clip was maybe ten seconds long so far. But it still sounded like a random collection of sounds: tinkling bells, a shrill whistle, that cannon-like boom, and the new tick-tick. He played it three times in a row, then pulled out his earbuds and sighed.

  “I still have no idea.”

  Mika was listening for a fourth time, brow furrowed. “You know what this reminds me of?” she said slowly. “That cuckoo clock Aunt Kei has. That last one you added really sounds like a clock ticking, plus hers plays that melody that sounds kind of like the bells.”

  Andy stared at her. “You’re right. But what about the low noise? The one that sounds like a cannon?”

  “Ugh, I have no idea. Maybe it’s a gigantic clock? Like Big Ben?”

  She sounded like she was joking, but Andy opened his browser anyway. “Giant . . . clock . . . Tokyo . . .” he murmured as he typed, and Mika giggled.

  “Pretty sure if Tokyo had a Big Ben, Dad would’ve put it on our list of places to see.”

  Andy had to admit that she had a point, but when the search results popped up, his mouth fell open.

  “Mika, look—this has to be it!”

  * * *

  Ten minutes later, Andy and Mika raced out of the park. “It’s just a few blocks this way!” Andy called, dodging around a group of kids wearing tiny backpacks. He pictured himself as an Olympic athlete leaping effortlessly over hurdles, darting around barriers, and sprinting toward the Silver.

  But when Andy turned onto the street where the Giant Ghibli Clock waited, a bunch of avatars appeared on his screen, and he groaned. Already, at least a dozen other players were heading to the clock—CadetRicky and CadetKara were coming in from the other direction, Shellbee, Beeyanca, and Feebee weren’t far behind Andy and Mika, and a half a block ahead, right in front of the clock . . . SabineTheGreat.

  Team SuperFan was already there.

  “Hurry!” Andy cried as he and Mika put on a fresh burst of speed. But it was too late. Before they even reached the clock, the message popped up on their screens.

  Found by SabineTheGreat (VR)

  Congratulations to the Silver Medalists:

  TEAM SUPERFAN!!!

  Andy slowed to a stop, gasping for breath as Mika came to a halt next to him. They exchanged matching looks of disbelief. How could they have come so close only to lose at the last second again?

  Pedestrians were craning their necks, staring at the group of teens screaming and jumping up and down in celebration. Andy tore his gaze from them and looked at the clock. It really was cool—a massive copper-and-steel structure at least three stories high. On either side of the clockface were little balconies and doors opening and closing to reveal tiny cannons, miniature blacksmiths hammering away, whistling teapots, and lots of spinning gears and cranking pistons.

  Mika sighed. “I’m going to take some photos.”

  While she crossed the street, Andy opened the Team MADR chat room.

  Andy: So close AGAIN. It was at the Giant Ghibli Clock. We got there two seconds after Team SuperFan.

  Andy: At least TilerMyths didn’t win this time. His team already has two hints.

  Sticking his phone in his pocket, Andy looked back at Team SuperFan. While they’d mostly stopped screaming, one guy was still jumping up and down and chanting something as the others laughed.

  Suddenly, Mika reappeared. “Andy, look,” she said urgently, showing him her phone. Andy glanced down at the photo of Team SuperFan.

  “That’s from the Meiji Shrine,” he said, frowning.

  “Yes, but look.” Mika jabbed her finger at the screen, and Andy looked more closely. The group of teens was centered in the picture, all staring glumly at their screens. But not far behind them, Gavin Driscoll stood with his giant camera, interviewing the sullen-looking boy with the huge sunglasses that took up half his face. His camera was aimed at the boy, who was clearly talking, but Gavin’s head was turned toward Mika, as if he were looking at something just to her left. Andy thought about where they’d been standing, and his head snapped up.

  “Gavin’s looking at the spot where you found the note?”

  Mika nodded. “I think so. He was there. Do you think he’s the one who left it?”

  Andy stared hard at the photo again, hoping to spot something he’d missed. “I guess it’s possible . . . but why would he do that?”

  “He’s making a documentary about OlympiFan,” Mika said. “Maybe he thought this would make it more dramatic or something.”

  Andy shook his head slowly. “I don’t know, that’d be pretty extreme.”

  Mika looked unsettled. But after a moment, she nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I still think it’s kinda weird, though.”

  Andy had to agree. Someone was trying to disrupt the game.

  But even that wasn’t as weird as Mika’s behavior. During the whole walk back to the library, she kept glancing over her shoulder, as if she thought she was being followed. Every time Andy tried to ask her why she was acting so nervous, she’d brush him off. By the time they met up with Dad, Andy was starting to get a little annoyed with his sister.

  Then again, she didn’t have to tell him. Technically, it was none of his business, anyway.

  He already had enough mysteries to solve.

  OLYMPIFAN UPDATE!

  Special message from the Masked Medalist

  Hey there, OlympiFans! BIG congrats to Team SuperFan on finding the Silver medal at the Giant Ghibli Clock—
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  what an exciting race! By the way, how cool is that clock?

  It was designed by Hayao Miyazaki, for all you anime fangirls and fanboys out there. Including me.

  (Wait, was that a hint? Whoops!

  Consider it a freebie . . . )

  As you’ve probably noticed, Team SuperFan went

  all in on the points—750—bringing their total

  to a whopping 1,021!!! They also received one

  hint to my identity and immediate access

  to the locations for the Gold medal.

  The locations will be up for everyone else in one hour.

  In the meantime, I don’t know about you, but

  I’m starving. Tokyo has so many amazing places

  to eat—choosing is the hardest part!

  What are YOU having for dinner?

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  MIKA

  “I DON’T GET IT.” Mika stood in front of the mirror in the hotel bathroom, pinning her hair back with glittery blue barrettes. “I thought Chef Abe’s restaurant was opening the night before the closing ceremony.”

  “It is,” Dad said, straightening his tie. “This is the soft opening.”

  Mika wrinkled her nose. “What’s the difference?”

  “Well, for one thing, the soft opening isn’t for the public,” Dad told her. “It’s not even advertised. Actually, Chef Abe probably won’t serve his entire menu—we’ll just be sampling some of his dishes.”

  “Is it like a dress rehearsal?”

  “Exactly!” Dad’s reflection beamed at her. “If it goes well, it can help generate buzz by word of mouth. Emi told me in confidence that several famous Olympic athletes were invited tonight. I think she’s hoping they’ll share photos and post on social media, so that by the real opening night, people will be lining up to get in!”