Kudo Kids--The Mystery of the Masked Medalist

by Maia Shibutani

  for their fellow players and the game itself.

  That’s what the grand prize was all about.

  After much thought, I’ve decided that all of the medalists have exhibited these qualities. That’s why Team Cryptic, Team SuperFan, and Team MADR will ALL be official beta testers for The Masked Medalist LTD!

  Keep your eye on this space for more announcements soon. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the closing ceremony. See you at the next Games . . .

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  MIKA

  MIKA CLUNG TO a pole on the crowded train, gazing at a man near the door. He was wearing shorts and a tank top, and every visible inch of skin was covered in yellow, blue, and green body paint—a walking Brazilian flag. Before Mika realized what she was doing, her phone was in her hands and she was moving to get a better angle.

  As the train began to slow, the man noticed Mika framing her shot. He gave her a dazzling smile, spreading his arms so she could get the full effect of his paint job. The passengers around him grinned. Just before Mika took the photo, a teenage girl wearing a cat-ears headband and waving a miniature Japanese flag ducked beneath his left arm, flashing a peace sign and beaming.

  “Thanks!” Mika called, and the man nodded and smiled. The train came to a halt, and she examined her picture. It was a good shot, even though the lighting wasn’t great. But she could adjust that with her photo-editing app. Maybe play with the contrast, too—see if she could balance the blue and green a little better . . .

  “Very nice!”

  Mika jumped, startled, as she realized Mom and Dad were on either side of her, looking at her phone. She gave them a sheepish grin. “I wasn’t going to post it or anything. I just, um . . .”

  Mom smiled. “We know. You just saw a good photo opportunity.”

  “Gavin was right,” Dad added, still studying the picture. “You really do have talent.”

  Mika tried not to look too pleased. The train lurched forward again, and Mom glanced up at the digital map showing their route. “Two more stops, Andy!”

  Across the aisle, Andy glanced up from his phone and blinked, looking slightly disoriented. “Oh, okay!”

  Mika couldn’t help but giggle. The previous night, Hana sent a message to all three teams—MADR, Cryptic, and SuperFan, minus Kaito—about setting up a private chat room so they could discuss the first game she would be sending them next week. Andy had begun playing other puzzle games almost nonstop ever since for practice, texting with Devon and Tyler about the pros and cons of each game.

  “You know, we still haven’t had a chat about this.” Mom tapped Mika’s phone, and her smile vanished.

  Dad put his arm around Mika’s shoulders. “Here’s the thing,” he said. “We understand why you did it. And honestly? Seeing your picture up on that billboard was really exciting.”

  “We’re so proud of you,” Mom added. “But we’re disappointed that you didn’t tell us about the Enspire contest first.”

  Mika swallowed. “I figured it wouldn’t matter.”

  “You figured it was better to apologize rather than ask for permission,” Dad said, looking amused. “But what’s done is done. Mom and I haven’t decided exactly what the consequences will be, although you can bet that your chores list is going to get a lot longer for the rest of the summer.”

  “And the no-social-media-until-you’re-thirteen rule still stands.” Mom paused. “For personal accounts.”

  Mika looked up. “Personal accounts?”

  “But perhaps we can make an exception for a professional account.” Dad grabbed the pole as the train slowed again. “Like a photography portfolio.”

  “On the condition that Dad and I have complete access to the account,” Mom added quickly. “You post your photos, but we control the privacy settings, monitor the comments, followers, everything. Okay?”

  “Yes!” Mika could hardly believe it. “Thank you!”

  “One other thing,” Dad said. “If you’re really serious about this, we think you should sign up for photography club this fall.”

  Mika’s mouth fell open. “Wait. There’s a photography club?”

  Mom laughed. “There is! We checked the school’s website for an extracurriculars list last night. They meet after school every Tuesday. How does that sound?”

  “Um, amazing!” Mika squeezed her phone, feeling giddy. With all the excitement of traveling to Tokyo for the Olympics, she’d almost forgotten about school starting in a few weeks. When Mika and Riley’s fifth-grade class had taken the tour of Marshall Middle School in May, they’d both been intimidated by the whole thing. What if they got lost between classes? What if they couldn’t get their lockers open? But if middle school meant that Mika could do cool stuff like an after-school photography club, maybe it wouldn’t be so scary after all.

  The train slowed again, and Dad nudged Andy with his toe. “This is us!” he said as the doors slid open.

  “And everybody else, apparently,” Mika said when most of the passengers who’d been sitting got to their feet.

  They followed the man in the Brazilian flag body paint off the train, but quickly lost him on the crowded platform. Mika gripped Mom’s hand tightly as they made their way to the stairs, Andy and Dad right behind them.

  “Did you know Marshall had a photography club?” Mika asked Andy once they’d exited the station.

  Andy blinked. “No. But I’m not surprised. There’s lots of clubs that meet after school. Book club, astronomy club, chess club . . .”

  “There’s a book club?!” Mika exclaimed. “Oh wow, I should tell Riley. It’ll probably make her feel better.”

  “Feel better about what?”

  “Just . . . middle school,” Mika said, shrugging. “We took a tour right before summer break, and it kind of freaked her out. And, well . . . maybe it freaked me out a little bit, too,” she admitted.

  To her surprise, Andy nodded. “Oh, right—I remember doing that tour in fifth grade! I kept thinking there was no way I’d be able to find all my classes. But it’s really not that hard once you get used to it.”

  “That’s what the assistant principal said, but I’m still pretty positive I’m going to get totally lost my first day.”

  “You definitely won’t,” Andy said with a grin. “We took the subway in Tokyo by ourselves. We went all over the city and we didn’t get lost. Middle school will be easy after this!”

  “I didn’t even think about that!”

  “Besides, if you do need help, you can always ask me,” Andy added.

  Mika beamed. “Oh, right!”

  “Did you forget it’s my school, too?” he teased.

  “No,” Mika said, rolling her eyes. “Well, kind of. I guess I got used to us going to different schools last year.”

  “Not anymore! We’re both in middle school now.”

  Mika’s heart soared as they crossed the street with Mom and Dad, heading toward the stadium. Middle school didn’t seem nearly as intimidating.

  The crowd seemed to triple in size and sound as a mass of people slowly made their way into the main arena. Pop music blared from the speakers while some fans danced and jumped around. Mika gasped when she stepped through the double doors.

  The arena was dark, with spotlights in different colors soaring over the seats. The track and field had been transformed into a massive white stage that pulsed red every few seconds, like a heartbeat. Mika remembered how incredible the opening ceremony had looked on TV at home. She couldn’t believe she was here now, about to see the closing ceremony in person!

  “Mika! Andy! Over here!”

  Emma jumped up and down, waving her hands over her head. Next to her, Mrs. Botha grinned widely at the Kudos as they made their way to their seats. “Here, we brought extra!” Emma announced, shoving glow sticks into Andy and Mika’s hands. “The athletes are already lini
ng up for the Parade of Nations. I told Antony we’d scream his name super loud so he’d be able to see where we’re sitting! He begged me not to, which means we have to do it.”

  “Absolutely,” Mika said, accepting a glow stick with a laugh.

  “Do you think he’ll race at the next Olympics?” Andy asked.

  Emma nodded. “He wants to, for sure. I hope he does—that means a trip to Paris!”

  “Ooh!” Mika wondered if Mom would be covering those Games in four years. Then she remembered something. “Oh, hey—if Antony races in the Summer Games after that, you can visit us!”

  “Really?”

  “Oh, right!” Andy said excitedly. “The 2028 Games are in Los Angeles!”

  “Then he definitely has to do it,” Emma said, grinning. “Maybe I can even get Tyler to come. And Sabine, too!”

  Mika smiled at the thought. Sabine had messaged her, Andy, Emma, and Tyler the previous night and told them that Kaito had apologized to Team SuperFan, and they were all friends again. He was too embarrassed to apologize to the Team MADR and Team Cryptic players . . . for now, Sabine had added with a smiley emoji. But I’ll make sure he does soon.

  The illuminated stage suddenly went dark, and Mika felt goose bumps break out on her arms. “It’s starting!” she cried, but her words were lost to the deafening sound of fireworks. Everyone looked up to see sparks flying around the opening of Olympic Stadium, rapidly changing from purple, to blue, to red, to green. The oohs and aahs were quickly hushed as a low, rhythmic drumbeat began. The stage flared white again, and Mika’s heart leapt when at least a hundred dancers appeared seemingly out of thin air. For a brief moment, she felt a pang of sadness as she remembered that this was the closing ceremony— the Olympics, and her trip to Tokyo, were almost over.

  Andy nudged her arm. “What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, nothing,” Mika said. “Just kind of sad that it’s our last day here.”

  “Yeah,” Andy agreed. “But it’s hard to be sad if you think about all the cool first days we’re about to have!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “First day of being official beta testers for the Masked Medalist,” Andy said. “First day of school.”

  Mika felt her spirits lift. “First day of photography club. My first professional portfolio.”

  “Exactly!” Andy exclaimed. “Speaking of photography, don’t forget to take pictures of this!”

  He pointed to the stage as the dancers were launching into their first routine. Smiling, Mika pulled out her phone. She thought about all of the pictures she’d taken during the trip, and about seeing her photo on that billboard. She thought about all the amazing food they’d eaten, and all the incredible athletes they’d watched. She thought about being co-beta testers with Andy and their friends—the old ones, and the new ones they’d made on this trip.

  And suddenly, Mika knew Andy was right. They had no reason to feel sad.

  They were ready for another adventure.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  We are so proud of this book and grateful to everyone who helped bring the Kudo Kids’ first adventure to life. First, we would like to thank our parents for encouraging our love of reading from an early age. It’s so exciting that we are now creating stories for a new generation of young readers. We would also like to thank them for teaching us to take care of each other. From early on, this sense of teamwork enabled us to cultivate a special working dynamic between the two of us that has continually motivated us to take on new creative projects.

  Theresa Peters, Ty Flynn, and Jonathan Beckerman, thank you for your support and guidance. You believed in our ability to tell a special story and introduced us to the “ball of unlimited energy” who is your colleague, Albert Lee.

  Albert, thank you for taking us under your wing. Your enthusiasm is unmatched, and working with you four years after our first meeting has been a wonderful turn of events. You understood why we wanted to go on this journey, and, along with Mary Pender, helped us begin to imagine the amazing adventures the Kudo Kids could have. On top of that, you helped us find the perfect partner in Razorbill, and our editor, Julie Rosenberg.

  Julie, you are the editor of our dreams—we couldn’t have done this without you! Your positive attitude and enthusiasm helped us bring our best to every page of the book AND enjoy the process.

  Michelle Schusterman, collaborating with you has been an exciting and fulfilling experience. We value your playfulness, curiosity, and passion for storytelling. You are amazing, and we can’t wait to continue telling Mika and Andy’s story with you.

  Yaoyao Ma Van As, thank you for helping us bring the Kudo Kids and Tokyo to life. Your talent, attention to detail, and expressive style adds heart to the book. Locking in the final cover illustration was an electric moment we will always remember.

  Alex Sanchez, Casey McIntyre, Jen Klonsky, and Gretchen Durning, thank you for believing in us. Knowing that we have your support is incredibly meaningful. Jayne Ziemba, thank you for your hard work, dedication, and thoroughness.

  Maria Fazio and Lindsey Andrews, your creativity and extra effort elevated every design element in the book. Thank you for being so imaginative.

  Elyse Marshall, Lindsay Boggs, Naomi Duttweiler, Christina Colangelo, Emily Romero, Alex Garber, Lauren Festa, and Venessa Carson—we really appreciate your passion for this story. All of you have worked ceaselessly to help us share the Kudo Kids with the world—you guys are the best!

  Auntie Eva Chen and Edward Barsamian—actually, the two of you were the first to encourage us to write a book. We listened—thank you!

  Jessica Kaye, Stephen George, Karen Dziekonski, and Amber Beard—thank you for helping us bring this book to life in another medium. Recording the audiobook with you was a fun, challenging, and fulfilling experience—we appreciate your patience and encouragement.

  Justin Antony, Virginia Nam, Jackson Williams, Lauren Schutte, Pamela Chen, and Ashley Yuki, we appreciate your friendship and support.

  Marina Zoueva, Massimo Scali, Johnny Johns, Oleg Epstein, and Tina Lundgren, thank you for helping us become the people we are today. We love you all!

  Special additional thanks to Janet McDonald, Kathy Bird, Yuki Saegusa, Alissandra Aronow, and Kirk Myers for your faith in us throughout the years.

  Finally, to our readers and supporters from all around the world. We are so grateful for the kindness you bring to our lives every day. Your energy inspires us to continue following our dreams. We are always striving to learn, grow, and challenge ourselves with the intention of creating special things that we can share with all of you.

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  Maia and Alex Shibutani (aka the ShibSibs) are two-time Olympic bronze medalists, three-time world medalists, Four Continents Champions, and two-time U.S. National Champions. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, they became the first ice dancers of Asian descent to medal at the Olympics and are only the second sibling duo in the history of the sport to share an ice dancing medal.

  Off the ice, the ShibSibs are known for sharing their personalities, experiences, and interests on social media to bring new audiences to their sport. They travel the world and enjoy spending time together (most of the time), eating food (all of the time), and meeting new people (any time!). The Mystery of the Masked Medalist is their first book.

  Find Maia and Alex on Twitter and Instagram: @MaiaShibutani @AlexShibutani @ShibSibs

  Yaoyao Ma Van As is an illustrator, art director, vegan, and dog lover. She has a BFA in Art & Design and an MFA in Animation. Between working on animated television shows she likes to relax by illustrating quiet little moments in life. Yaoyao currently lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and four-legged baby.

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