Alice-Miranda in Japan 9

by Jacqueline Harvey

  ‘Is that Kiko?’ Alice-Miranda asked.

  The man nodded. ‘Yes, she is a good daughter. But I have not been a good father.’

  Alice-Miranda looked at the picture. She wondered why the girl’s face seemed familiar.

  At the other end of the table Hatsuko seethed. Her brother should have been wailing and sobbing and running from the room by now, as had happened so many times before. She despised his weakness and yet now that she was relying on it, he seemed to have gained new strength.

  The Emperor stood up.

  ‘Are you all right, Your Majesty?’ Kenzo stood too and, like marionettes, everyone else was drawn to their feet.

  ‘I would like my daughter to see this. In fact, it looks very much like one I gave her many years ago.’

  ‘What are you doing?’ Hatsuko flew to the end of the table.

  ‘I am going to wake Kiko and bring her to dinner,’ the man said.

  ‘No, she is sick. You must not.’ Hatsuko shook her head and reached out to grab his arm.

  ‘Must? You will not command me, sister,’ the Emperor hissed under his breath.

  Hatsuko exhaled slowly and stood perfectly still for a moment. The two siblings stared at each other.

  ‘I . . . I will get her for you.’ Hatsuko’s face fell and she fled from the room.

  Alice-Miranda looked at her father and mother, who shrugged.

  ‘Please, our meal will be ruined.’ Kenzo indicated that the group should sit down.

  ‘I apologise for my sister. You see, we have not been together as a family for some time,’ the Emperor said with a frown.

  Dinner continued to be served in the princess’s absence. Following the flower-like potato came the most exquisite sashimi, cut to resemble three-dimensional salmon with caviar for eyes. Millie poked at the dish and watched as everyone around her picked it up and swallowed it whole. She popped it into her mouth expecting it to be slimy, but was pleasantly surprised.

  ‘This is oishii,’ the girl exclaimed.

  The Emperor smiled. ‘I am glad it is to your liking, Miss Millie. And well done with your Japanese.’

  Millie frowned. She hadn’t used that word before and wondered how she even knew it.

  The food continued coming. Next was yakitori chicken and rice, then another dish with unidentifiable meat that no one was quite game to ask about.

  Jacinta was squirming in her seat.

  ‘What’s the matter with you?’ Millie whispered across the table.

  ‘I need to go to the toilet,’ Jacinta mouthed, then began jiggling up and down.

  ‘Then go.’ Millie flicked her head in the direction of the door.

  Alice-Miranda noticed her friends’ discomfort too. She slipped from her seat and walked to the end of the table.

  ‘Excuse me, Kenzo-san,’ she said quietly.

  He leaned towards her.

  ‘Could you tell me where the toilet is?’

  ‘Certainly, Alice-Miranda.’

  He held up his hand and a young woman walked forward. Then he said something to her in Japanese.

  ‘Miki will show you,’ he smiled at the child.

  Alice-Miranda gestured to her friends. Jacinta stood up and, after a moment, Millie did too.

  The three girls excused themselves and followed the young woman out of the room. They headed down a long hallway.

  The woman pointed to a door on the left.

  Jacinta charged through into a timber-lined room. There was another door leading to what looked like a giant powder room complete with an enormous vanity and two chairs. Yet another door led to the toilet.

  ‘Whoa, if you thought the hotel toilet was cool, wait until you see this one,’ Jacinta called out.

  ‘Is it gold plated?’ Millie asked through the door.

  ‘No, but it has more controls than a jumbo jet.’

  Alice-Miranda and Millie waited their turn inside the powder room while the woman who had led them there stood outside in the hallway.

  ‘I was worried about the Emperor seeing my necklace,’ Alice-Miranda said to Millie. ‘When I met the old man in Obaasan’s house, he told me that the woman in the photo was the Empress.’

  ‘You didn’t tell us that,’ Millie said. ‘That’s pretty cool, you know. I wonder if it used to be owned by someone from the royal family.’

  ‘I wondered that myself. I didn’t think it was very likely but just now he said that it looked a lot like a necklace he gave Kiko.’

  ‘He took it very well. He seems nice. Sad, but nice,’ Millie said. ‘I’m not so sure about his sister, though.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Alice-Miranda asked.

  ‘She’s got this look, like she’s up to something, and she seemed really unhappy to see her brother. I mean, I’d have thought she’d be pleased to see him up and about if he’s been sick for such a long time.’

  Alice-Miranda nodded. She had thought the same thing herself.

  Jacinta was taking forever in the cubicle.

  ‘What’s that noise?’ Millie asked, glancing around the room.

  Alice-Miranda listened. Somewhere close by there were voices, and they didn’t sound happy.

  ‘Where are they coming from?’ said Millie. She opened the door to the outer room but there was no one there. ‘Must be coming through the paper walls or something,’ Millie decided, then tapped her hand against the one closest. ‘Ouch! Except that’s not paper.’

  The voices were getting louder.

  Alice-Miranda and Millie looked at one another.

  ‘It’s coming from there,’ Alice-Miranda whispered and pointed to the ground.

  Millie knelt down and pressed her ear against the small silver drainage grate. ‘I think it’s Princess Hatsuko’s voice.’

  ‘What are you two whispering about?’ Jacinta called from inside the toilet. ‘You’d better not be talking about me and Lucas again.’

  ‘Shhh,’ Millie said.

  Jacinta flushed the toilet and opened the door. ‘What’s the matter now?’ she griped as she washed her hands.

  ‘Listen,’ Millie mouthed. The voices were speaking Japanese but Millie was shocked to realise that she could understand every word.

  She listened to each sentence and translated aloud for Jacinta and Alice-Miranda. ‘Princess Hatsuko is telling the man that the Emperor wants her to bring Princess Kiko into the dining room –’

  ‘How do you know that’s what she said?’ Jacinta scoffed. ‘They’re speaking Japanese.’

  ‘I don’t know how, but I’m sure I’m understanding it perfectly. I just . . . am,’ Millie whispered, looking as confused as Jacinta. ‘Shh! They’re still talking.’

  Alice-Miranda’s mind raced.

  ‘Hatsuko’s telling the man to put the letter – I don’t know what letter – onto Kiko’s bed.’ Millie gasped. ‘Oh my goodness – Kiko isn’t even here! Hatsuko’s going to wait a while then go back and tell everyone that’s Kiko’s run away . . .’

  Alice-Miranda, Millie and Jacinta looked at one another, wide-eyed.

  ‘Now Hatsuko’s yelling at the man and telling him to find Kiko so they can use their original plan and take her to Kobe. Oh my goodness. Some law is changing tomorrow and Hatsuko’s going to have Emperor Jimmu removed and take over the crown. That’s it! She’s trying to get rid of Princess Kiko so she can become Empress right away.’

  Alice-Miranda couldn’t keep quiet any longer. ‘So where’s Princess Kiko? Do you mean she’s out in Tokyo all alone?’

  Millie shushed her. ‘Yes . . . Oooh. Hatsuko gave Kiko her grandfather’s address to try to get her to run away. But the old man’s not there – Hatsuko’s saying she had him moved to some retirement home.’ Millie gawped at the pendant around Alice-Miranda’s neck. ‘Hatsuko says that Kiko sold her necklace to the antique dealer in the Senso-ji market, Alice-Miranda! She’s telling the man to ask the antique dealer if he remembers Kiko. Now the man’s all excited and thinks he knows where Kiko is. That’s weird. He’s gabbling about
some . . . about a boy in an alleyway in Asakusa. Hey, that’s where we’re staying.’

  Shuffling noises came from the grate in the floor, followed by a loud bang.

  ‘They’re gone. How did I do that?’ Millie said, stunned. ‘How did I learn Japanese in two days? It’s a miracle. Or I’m a genius and I just didn’t know it.’

  Alice-Miranda shook her head. ‘I think I know how it happened. When you asked Mrs Oliver for a mint, what did she give you?’

  Millie frowned. ‘I don’t know but it wasn’t very minty. I wondered if she’d invented mint-less mints.’

  ‘Oh my goodness, she gave you one of her language pills – she’s just trialling them. That’s why you can understand what they were saying.’

  ‘Language pills? That’s ridiculous,’ Jacinta said.

  Alice-Miranda shook her head. ‘No, it’s not. Mrs Oliver is one of the cleverest people I know and I promise it’s true. She told me herself.’

  Jacinta rolled her eyes and huffed. ‘Why has she been keeping that to herself? It would have made life much easier since we’ve been here.’

  ‘Because they’re not ready yet. She took one and it sort of malfunctioned and she could only speak Japanese for the next few hours even though she was thinking in English.’

  ‘I wonder if that will happen to me,’ said Millie, biting her lip.

  ‘And why isn’t mine working?’ Jacinta said. ‘I had a mint too and I couldn’t understand any of that.’

  Alice-Miranda shrugged. ‘I guess that’s why they’re still at the trial stage. Anyway, that’s not important now. If what Millie said is true, Princess Kiko is in grave danger.’

  ‘It sounds like she’s planning to kill her,’ Jacinta said.

  ‘Or at the very least, lock her away forever,’ Millie said.

  ‘We have to tell the Emperor,’ said Jacinta.

  ‘No,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘I think I know where she is too.’ Alice-Miranda pictured the child in the photograph Emperor Jimmu had shown her.

  ‘But how?’ Millie frowned.

  ‘Just trust me. We need to get there before those men do.’

  The girls sped out into the hallway, almost bowling Mrs Oliver over in the process.

  ‘I wondered if you’d got lost in here,’ the old woman said, smiling.

  ‘Mrs Oliver, we have a problem. We need to talk to you – in private,’ Alice-Miranda said. She’d just noticed that the young woman who had escorted them to the toilet was still waiting.

  Millie walked over to the woman. ‘Excuse us, you don’t have to wait. Mrs Oliver can show us the way back,’ she said in perfect Japanese.

  ‘What was that, Millie?’ Dolly frowned at the child. ‘Oh my heavens, did you just speak Japanese?’

  Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘She’s very good at it too.’

  ‘In there. The lot of you. NOW!’ Dolly pushed open the powder room door and the children rushed through.

  ‘Millie took one of your tablets by mistake,’ Alice-Miranda began.

  Deep lines creased Dolly’s forehead. ‘But that’s impossible!’ She opened her handbag and fished around for the pill case. She pulled it out and then reached for her glasses. ‘I know exactly how many of those tablets were in here. Now let me see, there were three of everything except the Japanese tablets – there were two of those left. Oh dear. And now there’s only one.’ The woman gulped. ‘How on earth did that happen?’

  ‘What about me? What did I take?’ Jacinta asked anxiously.

  ‘Not you too,’ Dolly groaned. She counted the other pills. ‘Well dear, I suspect you could be very good at Spanish in a little while.’

  ‘Gracias,’ Jacinta said. ‘Oh, how exciting. I think it’s started to take effect.’

  ‘But how did you?’ Dolly peered into the bag and pulled out a very similarly shaped case. ‘The mints! Oh heavens, how utterly careless of me. I was so excited about coming to the palace, I wasn’t paying attention. Girls, I am so sorry. I’m sure that you will be fine – in about seven hours.’

  ‘Mrs Oliver, that’s not the problem. We need your help. Can you get us to the inn?’

  ‘Why on earth would we want to do that? We can’t just leave, Alice-Miranda. It would be the height of rudeness.’

  ‘I’m sure that we can explain to the Emperor and Mr Kenzo as soon as we find Princess Kiko and bring her safely home.’

  ‘Find the princess? What are you talking about? What’s she doing at the inn?’ Dolly asked.

  ‘Come on. We’ll explain on the way.’ Alice-Miranda grabbed Dolly’s hand.

  Meanwhile, in the dining room, Kenzo glanced around at the empty chairs. He wondered what was taking everyone so long.

  He motioned for the man behind him to step forward and whispered something into his ear.

  ‘Hai.’ The man scurried from the room to search for the missing guests and the princess.

  ‘Dessert will soon be served,’ Kenzo announced. ‘Perhaps the children and Mrs Oliver have got lost out there somewhere.’

  ‘It is a big place,’ the Emperor agreed. ‘One wrong turn and you could be gone for days.’

  Hugh and Lawrence glanced across the table at one another. Hugh frowned. It wasn’t like his daughter to take a wrong turn at all.

  ‘I’m driving this time,’ Yuki yelled as he elbowed Yamato out of the way and scooted around to the other side of the vehicle. Their car was parked in the circular driveway behind the enormous limousine that had brought the guests to the palace.

  Alice-Miranda, Millie, Jacinta and Mrs Oliver raced out of the palace. Alice-Miranda glanced towards the men as Yamato slid into the passenger seat and looked up. ‘What are those children doing?’ he said. ‘And that old woman?’

  Alice-Miranda looked at Millie in alarm. ‘Hurry! Millie, please ask the driver if he can take us.’

  ‘But I don’t know how . . . Oh, of course, I do!’ Millie thought about what she wanted to say then launched into near-perfect Japanese. She told the driver that she’d left something for the Emperor back at the inn and they needed to collect it before dinner was over. The driver opened the door and bowed.

  She turned to Dolly. ‘Mrs Oliver, you are the cleverest woman in the world! This is the best invention ever.’

  The girls and Mrs Oliver piled into the back of the limousine. The driver pulled out in front of Yuki and Yamato, blocking their path.

  Yuki leaned on the horn.

  ‘Remember the men in black suits who were outside the inn? They’re behind us,’ Alice-Miranda said.

  ‘What are they doing here?’ Jacinta asked.

  ‘Good heavens, young lady, what’s been going on over there?’ Dolly tutted.

  Alice-Miranda tried to keep watch out the back window, but the black car behind them disappeared into the night. She had no idea if they were ahead or behind.

  Jacinta was feeling very confused. ‘So why are we going to the inn?’

  ‘You know the boy who helped us with directions to the kimono maker?’ Alice-Miranda explained.

  Jacinta nodded. ‘Yes, what about him?’

  ‘He’s not a boy!’ Millie said, suddenly realising what Alice-Miranda already knew.

  ‘How do you know that?’ Jacinta asked.

  ‘He’s the princess, isn’t he?’ asked Millie.

  ‘Yes, I’m sure of it,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘Emperor Jimmu showed me a photograph of Princess Kiko in his fob watch. I was trying to remember why her face looked familiar and then when you explained that the men talking to Hatsuko said something about the inn and the alley, it all made sense. Do you remember that Yoshi seemed very interested in my pendant? I thought it was a bit odd for a boy to be so keen on jewellery. Yoshi is Kiko.’

  ‘Do you think she sold the pendant?’ Millie asked.

  ‘Maybe. Or it might have been stolen,’ said Alice-Miranda.

  The limousine reached the inn in record time.

  ‘Oh no, the men from the palace are already here,’ Alice-Miranda said as she caught sigh
t of the black car in front of Obaasan’s.

  ‘What are we going to do now?’ Millie asked, leaning forward in her seat.

  ‘What about you and Jacinta go to the front door and try to distract them, and I’ll see if I can get in the side door and find the princess,’ Alice-Miranda said.

  ‘Right, good idea,’ Millie nodded.

  ‘What should I do, dear?’ Mrs Oliver asked.

  ‘I think you should take that last Japanese-language pill and see if you can get our driver to call the palace and let the Emperor know exactly what’s going on.’

  ‘Will do.’ Dolly nodded decisively and opened her handbag. ‘I just hope that it doesn’t take too long to work. It seems to vary quite a bit.’

  ‘Yes, my Spanish hasn’t improved at all yet,’ Jacinta said with a frown.

  ‘Come on.’ Alice-Miranda opened the back door and the three girls spilled out like a line of kokeshi dolls.

  Millie and Jacinta ran towards the front of the house, while Alice-Miranda dashed into the alley.

  She was about to knock on the side door when it opened and Yoshi peered out.

  But this time Alice-Miranda knew better. ‘Princess Kiko?’

  The girl shook her head decisively. ‘No! I don’t know what you are talking about. I am Yoshi.’ Kiko tried to close the door but Alice-Miranda shoved her foot inside.

  ‘I know who you are and I’m afraid that you’re in grave danger.’ Alice-Miranda pushed the door and followed Kiko into the hall.

  ‘Go away. You’re not meant to be in here. It’s none of your business,’ Kiko implored her.

  ‘Please, Princess, you must believe me. I’ve just come from the palace and those two men with the black car – the ones who were sitting in the alley all day – are at the front door now.’

  Kiko gasped. She turned and crept down the hallway and then peered around the corner at the front door. A shadow loomed through the glass sidelights and the doorbell buzzed, followed by a thumping series of knocks. The colour drained from her cheeks.

  ‘I’m not going back,’ she whispered. ‘They can’t make me.’

  ‘Taking you back is the last thing they want to do,’ Alice-Miranda said. She looked closely at the girl and said carefully, ‘Your aunt is plotting to get rid of you so she can become the Empress.’