Mika could tell Andy was frustrated. “Do you think TilerMyths might be Gavin?” she asked in a small voice. “He’s making that documentary, and he was at the Meiji Shrine. And my photo . . .”
“He’s friends with Dad,” Andy said, shaking his head. “I really don’t think Gavin’s playing OlympiFan, Mika. He’s always watching events, or filming stuff. He’s not sitting around playing a game on his phone every time we see him. And TilerMyths is good. He’s always in the top ten on the scoreboard.”
“They,” Mika corrected automatically. “Team Cryptic is at the top of the scoreboard. TilerMyths has a teammate, even if that player isn’t as good as he is.”
Andy stared at her. “You’re right. That player might not be as good at collecting clues, but maybe they left the note!”
Quickly, he opened Team Cryptic’s page, and Mika leaned over to see the screen. Like TilerMyths, the other player’s profile was mostly blank. Their player name was UppeRcase.
“It’s a cryptogram!” Andy exclaimed, sitting up straight.
Mika frowned. “What?”
Andy looked excited. “Look—the word itself is a clue to decipher it. UppeRcase. The U and the R are uppercase letters, and the rest are lowercase. Do you have a pencil?”
“Yeah.” Mika dug one from her backpack and handed it to Andy. He grabbed a notepad off the table next to the sofa and wrote:
U p p e // R c a s e
“It’s two words,” he explained. “Maybe it’s the person’s first and last name! They could’ve used a cipher alphabet to code it. I might be able to figure it out if I start with the vowels . . .”
Mika watched as Andy started to scribble. Her mind wandered back to finding the note at the Meiji Shrine. She had to admit, what Andy said about Gavin made sense. Someone else had probably left the note. Mika closed her eyes, trying to remember exactly what happened after Andy almost won the Bronze. He’d been on the side of the path, looking at OlympiFan. But Mika’s mind had been on her first Instagram post. So she’d opened it up, scrolled through the likes, seen one from Enspire, and then . . .
“Oh.”
Andy didn’t glance up from his work. “‘Oh,’ what?”
Dread filled Mika as she pointed at his notepad. “Try e for u and a for e.”
“Okay . . .” Andy obliged, then showed her the paper.
E _ _ a // _ _ _ _ a
Mika stifled a groan. “M for p.”
Andy started to write again, then looked up at her sharply. “Emma?”
“Emma Botha.” Mika felt dazed. “She got to the shrine right after us—right after TilerMyths found the Bronze. I was looking at my Instagram when she came up to me . . . she could’ve seen my handle. I bet she did.” Her confusion began to fade, replaced with anger. “And then she asked me to take a photo of her under the gate, standing in the exact spot where I found the note. After she left, I wanted to take the same photo, so I asked you. Remember? And that’s when I found the note!”
Grimacing, she opened her messages.
Andy leaned forward. “What are you doing?”
“Texting her.”
“Mika, wait—”
But Mika had already sent the text.
MK: Hi!! Wanna meet up later, look for OlympiFan clues?
Andy read the message, then gave her a pointed look. “We can’t actually meet up with her. No going anywhere without Mom and Dad anymore, remember?”
He didn’t say it accusingly, but Mika winced anyway. For a few glorious minutes, she’d managed to forget all about the trouble she was in with her parents.
“Right. Um.” Mika stared down at her phone, feeling deflated. “What do I do? Text again and say never mind?”
“Tell her you can’t because you’re grounded and you forgot,” Andy said with a perfectly straight face.
“First of all, no. Second of all, I’m not technically grounded. Mom and Dad never used that word.”
“You will be, though.”
“I know.” Mika slumped back into the armchair, making a face at her phone. “Maybe it won’t matter. Maybe she won’t text me back.” But even as she spoke, the bubbles popped up on the left side of her screen. Mika sat up straight. “Oh wait! She’s typing!” She got up and sat on the sofa next to Andy so he could read Emma’s response.
EB: Sure! Can u meet me? I’m at the Continental Hotel Akasaka. Lots of clues here!!
“The Continental Hotel Akasaka,” Andy said quietly. “She did leave that note—remember the hotel logo on the other side of the paper?”
Mika read the text five times, struggling with a strange mix of emotions. Emma seemed so nice, like she really wanted to be Mika’s friend. But those Instagram messages had really frightened Mika. And why in the world did Emma think Mika had stolen her team’s hints?
“We need to talk to her and explain we didn’t steal anything.” Mika chewed her lip, thinking. Then she started typing again.
“What are you going to say?” Andy asked, trying to see her screen. “We can’t go anywhere, remember?”
“Don’t worry,” Mika said as she sent the text. “I have an idea.”
TEAM ALLEYOOP CHAT ROOM
Shellbee: Update???
Beeyanca: Ugh
Shellbee: Uh oh. He wasn’t at the hedgehog café?
Feebee: He was. We got his autograph!
Shellbee: OMG you actually TALKED to Zahir Long?!?!?!
Feebee: Yeah!! But he’s not the Masked Medalist.
Shellbee: Aw. Are you sure? I mean, of course he’d say no if you just asked him outright. I told you guys, that’s kind of like cheating. (Sorry, B.)
Feebee: I know. But I’m pretty sure he wasn’t lying. Back to square one.
Beeyanca: UGH
TEAM SUPERFAN CHAT ROOM
IronMatt: Running late! Be there in 15!
AgentAngel: It’s ok. Still waiting for SuperZuki and SabineTheGreat.
AgentAngel: We’re at the Otemon entrance btw.
IronMatt:
SabineTheGreat: Almost there. SuperZuki isn’t coming.
AgentAngel: Oh no! Why?
SabineTheGreat: Long story. Think we lost a teammate.
TEAM DRAGONFLAME CHAT ROOM
MageMisaki: I seriously want to report whoever left that note at the shrine and get them banned from the game.
CentaurCici: Told you it wasn’t a real clue.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ANDY
BY THE TIME Mom emerged from the conference room almost an hour later, Mika and Andy had agreed on a plan.
“We still haven’t had ramen yet,” Mika said, wearing her most innocent expression. “I looked up a few ramen shops and there’s a really good one in Akasaka close to the stadium. Can we go there?”
“Sounds perfect!” Mom agreed, and Andy breathed a sigh of relief. He gave Mika a thumbs-up and they followed Mom outside to hail a taxi. As they all stepped out to the curb, Andy watched Mika type a response to Emma.
MK: We’re having lunch at the ramen shop near your hotel! Meet us there?
No sooner had Andy climbed into the taxi and buckled his seat belt than Mika showed him her phone again.
EB: Ok!
Andy grimaced. Just like with Gavin, this didn’t feel exactly right. Emma seemed really nice. Was she trying to hide the fact that she was on Team Cryptic? It was hard to imagine her sending those direct messages to Mika.
“Everything okay?” Mom asked, twisting around in the front seat to look at them. When Mika hastily shoved her phone in her pocket, Mom arched an eyebrow. “Anything you want to tell me?”
Mika’s cheeks blazed red. “Well . . .”
Andy didn’t add that this was the whole reason they’d picked the ramen shop in the first place. He suspected Mom guessed as much, anyway, because she looked slightly amused.
“What a coincidence!” She turned to look at Mika, who slumped down in her seat. “Look, honey. I know we still need to have a talk about what you did. You broke a pretty important rule, and Dad and I are still discussing what we’re going to do about it. But we both agree on one thing.”
Andy glanced at Mika, who sat completely still, not even blinking as she waited for Mom to finish.
“Being here in Tokyo during the Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and making you stay at a hotel and miss all the excitement isn’t a fair punishment.” Mom paused, glancing at Andy. “And it’d be especially unfair to your brother, because we’re not about to let either one of you wander around the city alone. So while we’re here, you won’t be grounded. And you don’t need to make up ways to meet up with your friends or play OlympiFan. Our trip rules haven’t changed.”
Mika’s shoulders slumped as she let out a sigh, and Andy saw Mom’s lips quirk up.
“But we will have a discussion about this Instagram thing as soon as the trip is over. And there will be consequences for your actions. Understood?”
“Yes.” Mika nodded vigorously. “Thanks, Mom.”
As soon as Mom turned around in her seat, Andy and Mika exchanged grins. Andy felt a surge of relief. He wouldn’t be stuck at the hotel for the rest of the trip! He could keep playing OlympiFan in AR mode. Maybe their team still had a shot at finding that Gold medal and figuring out the Masked Medalist’s identity.
But first, they had to have a talk with Emma.
* * *
Andy lifted a huge pile of steaming ramen noodles and pork between his chopsticks. The flavorful broth, combined with his nerves over confronting Emma, had him feeling almost feverishly warm in the little shop. He was grateful for the air conditioning unit over the window blasting frigid air onto their table.
Across from him, Mom laughed as Andy tried in vain to slurp all of his noodles down at once.
“Sorry,” Andy said once he’d finally managed to swallow. “I didn’t mean to be so noisy.”
“Actually, slurping your noodles is considered polite in Japan,” Mom said, picking up her own noodles with her chopsticks. “It lets the chef know you find the food delicious.”
“Really?” Andy glanced at his sister and grinned. “Then Mika’s extra polite.”
Mika ignored him, her cheeks bulging like a chipmunk’s as she slurped more noodles from her bowl.
After draining the last bit of broth, Mom glanced at her watch. “I hope your friend gets here soon!” she said. “I’d like a chance to say hi before I leave.”
Mika paused with another enormous bite of noodles halfway to her mouth, her gaze fixed on the entrance. “There she is!”
Andy swiveled on his stool just as Emma spotted them. She smiled and waved, and he tried to smile back. But inside, he was nervous—and a little bit angry, too. Emma seemed so friendly, but she had really freaked Mika out with those Instagram messages.
“Hello,” Mom said cheerfully when Emma approached the table. “We didn’t get a chance to meet at the race the other day.”
“Hi, Mrs. Kudo! Nice to meet you,” Emma said politely. Her gaze flicked to the menu hanging over the counter, and her eyes lit up. “Ooh, they have mochi ice cream! You guys want some?”
“I’m afraid I have to get to work.” Mom was already standing and slinging her laptop bag over her shoulder. “But I’m sure these two would love some!”
“I’ll be right back!” Emma hurried off, and Mom turned to Andy and Mika.
“Have fun, and remember the rules,” she said. “I’ll see you at the stadium in . . . ?”
“Two hours,” Andy and Mika chorused. Mom gave them both a quick hug before heading out of the shop.
Exhaling, Andy glanced at his sister. She’d set her chopsticks down, that last bite of noodles uneaten. If Mika was leaving food in her bowl, she must be really nervous.
Emma reappeared holding a plate piled with little balls in pastel colors. “You guys have had these before, right?”
“Yeah, lots of times.” Andy plucked a strawberry mochi ice cream off the plate and took a bite. The soft, sticky rice cakes filled with ice cream were one of his favorite treats from Dough Re Mi, a bakery across the street from his school back in Los Angeles.
“So, where’d you guys want to start looking for clues?” Emma asked, selecting a chocolate one. She paused, glancing from Mika to Andy, and her expression changed. “What’s up?”
Andy set down the rest of his mochi. “We know you left that note about the pandas,” he said, at the exact same time as Mika blurted out: “Why’d you send me all of those messages on Instagram?”
Emma bit her lip but didn’t say anything. Calmly, she finished her dessert and wiped her fingers on a napkin.
Andy felt a flash of impatience. “Well? You are on Team Cryptic, right?”
“Yeah,” Emma said, clasping her hands on the table. “But—”
“And you left that note at the Meiji Shrine?”
“Yes, but—”
“And you knew about my Instagram account!” Mika interrupted. “And you created that A_Fan account just to send me weird messages!”
Emma gaped. “What are you talking about?”
“Come on,” Mika said, leaning forward. “My Insta-gram account was a secret. You saw it when we met at the shrine, didn’t you? You saw my handle and you looked it up.”
“Yeah, I saw it,” Emma admitted. “Bluedreamphotos. Your pictures are really good. But what weird messages are you talking about?”
Looking exasperated, Mika pulled out her phone. After a few seconds of swiping, she held it out to Emma. Andy could see the messages from A_Fan on the screen, and he watched Emma’s reaction carefully. She looked completely confused.
“That’s not me,” she said. “I swear. I’m on Instagram, and I did follow you, but that’s not my account!”
“Yeah, right,” Mika muttered. “Who else could it be?”
“I don’t . . .” Emma paused, her eyes darting down to her own phone. Then she groaned. “Oh, no.”
“What?” Andy asked.
Sighing, Emma looked from him to Mika. “I bet that’s Tyler.”
“Tyler?” Andy repeated. “You mean TilerMyths? Your teammate?”
“Yeah.” Emma pressed her lips together. “His name’s Tyler Smith. He’s a family friend—our moms are practically like sisters. We visited them a couple years ago. Tyler lives in New York, so he’s been playing in VR mode.”
Andy stared at her. TilerMyths . . . Tyler Smith. He’d used an anagram as his player name, just like Emma had used a cryptogram.
“I told him about meeting you guys, and about your Instagram, Mika.” Emma’s expression was defiant. “I only told him because I thought your photos were really cool. But when we looked at it and didn’t see your name anywhere, we wondered if it was a secret account. You only had like two photos, and they both had #TeamWorld—like you’d just made the account to enter that contest.”
Mika lifted her chin. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I did. But these messages—you left that note, didn’t you? The one about the pandas?”
“The notes were his idea,” Emma began.
“Notes?” Andy interjected. “There was only one note!”
“You guys found one,” Emma said. “But I left a few all around the Meiji Shrine. Fake clues.”
“You were trying to cheat?” Mika
asked in disbelief.
Emma’s eyes flashed. “It’s not cheating! It’s just throwing players off the trail. You were trying to cheat.”
“What?!”
“Anyone who found those notes and actually thought they were real clues had to know it’d be unfair to the other players,” Emma said, crossing her arms. “That was part of Tyler’s and my strategy. I wrote all the notes out ahead of time. Then, as soon as we figured out where the medal was, I got there as fast as I could to leave them lying around so other players who came close to winning would find them. We figured if a player found a note and ignored it, no harm done. But if they believed it . . . well, they deserved to get thrown off track a little. If you’d actually found the Silver medal at the zoo, what would you’ve done? Taken it, I bet. That would have been cheating.”
Andy remembered how relieved he’d felt when he’d realized there was no medal at the panda exhibit. What would he have done if he’d found it? Because Emma was right—Andy had guessed that no other player had access to that clue. He knew there was no way the Masked Medalist had left that note. He knew it wasn’t part of the game. But he’d still gone and looked for the Silver, just to be sure.
A blush had appeared on Mika’s cheeks. “So what—you followed us to the zoo to see what we’d do?”
“She didn’t have to follow us,” Andy said suddenly. “I’m friends with Tyler on OlympiFan, so he could see my location.”
“He was spying on us?” Mika said in disbelief.
“It’s not spying,” Emma said defensively. “It’s just playing the game.”
Andy couldn’t help but agree. After all, he’d looked to see where all of the teams in the top ten were searching for clues countless times over the past several days.
“Okay, so the notes were part of your strategy,” Andy said, reaching for his sister’s phone. “But this direct message—Clues for the Gold are up. Or are you just going to steal those hints, too?” He stared at Emma. “Do you and Tyler seriously think we somehow stole your hints?”
Kudo Kids--The Mystery of the Masked Medalist Page 13