by Alex Ko
“The question is,” Granny stroked her wrinkled chin thoughtfully, “will Shini do it?”
“No!” Josh burst out. Immediately he felt his face start to go red. Team O all stopped sipping their tea or tapping at their control panels, and looked at him. Granny turned and crooked an eyebrow. Josh looked at his sister. “Back me up, Jess, Shini would never do something like that, right?”
“I don’t think so,” Jessica said. Her voice was firm, but quiet. Josh frowned.
“Josh-kun,” said Mr. Nakamura, “your faith in your friend is to be admired. But the truth is that we just do not know what Shini is going to do. He may not feel he has a choice. Yoshida may be applying pressure in all sorts of ways.”
“We must work on the basis that he will do it,” interrupted Granny. “Yoshida must be confident of success, to have placed these bets already. If Shini doesn’t do it, Yoshida’s funds will be hit, and badly. He must, therefore, have some information we do not.”
Josh gritted his teeth. “I...suppose that makes sense,” he admitted.
To his surprise, Granny put a hand on his shoulder. “And yet, we do not know what that information is. There is only one way to find out. It’s time to talk to Shinichiro. And the best person to do that...is you.”
“We’re here to see Mickey Mouse,” Granny said to the hotel receptionist.
“I believe Mouse-san is in the gym at the moment,” said the receptionist, with a totally straight face.
The twins had asked Kiki for Shini’s secret code name. Lots of celebrities used them, to stop any old journalist walking into hotels and pretending to know them. Kiki told them that Shini was using Mickey Mouse – Kiki often called herself Minnie.
“I can send a message to him that you are here,” the receptionist went on. “Or if you like you can visit him in the gym.”
“Oh, okay,” said Jessica. “We’ll go and talk to him there.”
Granny nodded her approval. Josh could guess what she was thinking – the gym wouldn’t be private, but it’d be better than the busy hotel lobby.
The gym was in the basement, and the lift doors swished open onto a gleaming corridor full of mother-of-pearl and chrome with swan motifs painted on the walls. Doors to male and female changing rooms, a sauna, a spa and a swimming pool were marked in symbols: English and kanji. Through a wall of glass panels, Josh saw a huge white space full of mirrors, high-tech gym machines and neatly stacked, colour-coded weights. It was the biggest, swankiest gym Josh had ever seen, and that included the secret government agency where Team O trained.
A tanned gym assistant with bulging muscles raised his eyebrows at the two children and the little old lady, but when they asked for Mickey Mouse he waved them through with a low bow.
They were in luck – Shini was the only person using the gym. He was running on one of the treadmills, facing a wall of mirrors, with a monitor strapped to his arm that trailed wires from his forehead all the way down to his ankle. In front of him, a flat-screen television hung from the ceiling, showing a Japanese football pundit having an argument with an English presenter. Words in both English and kanji scrolled along the bottom of the screen: BIG GAME TOMORROW! WILL TAKESHI RECOVER IN TIME? IS GALLAGHER’S CALF MUSCLE AT RISK?
What would they say if they knew the really urgent question – will the match be fixed? Josh wondered.
Shini looked up as Josh, Jessica and Granny walked in. He tilted his head in puzzled greeting, but he didn’t slow down his run.
“Why don’t you two join him?” Granny said under her breath, smiling and waving at Shini. “With one of you on either side, and me at his back, he will not try to flee.”
Josh swallowed. He hadn’t even thought that was a possibility. But if Shini was, for some reason, thinking of doing what Yoshida asked...he had to admit it made sense.
“All right.” Jessica nodded. “You take the left treadmill, I’ll take the right. We need to look as though we’re here to exercise, rather than question someone, in case anyone else comes in.”
“Got it,” Josh replied. They stepped up onto the treadmills on either side of Shini.
“Josh,” Shini said, “Jessica...Murata-sama, ohayō. How are you? Er...what can I do for you?”
“We wanted to talk to you,” Jessica said, starting her machine and walking forward on the other side of Shini.
Josh tapped the buttons on his treadmill and it whirred into life. He glanced over at Shini’s LED display and increased his speed to match.
“We think...” Josh began. The treadmill was accelerating under him and he had to stop speaking while he adjusted his footing to make sure he wasn’t going to go shooting off. Was Shini really going this fast? He was barely breaking a sweat! “Er, we think there’s something wrong, Shini,” he said. He saw Jessica tapping up the settings on her treadmill. She wasn’t going faster, was she? His fingers hovered over the speed setting on his own machine. Anything you can do, sis...
“Wrong?” Shini asked.
“Yeah, Shini, look,” Jessica panted. “We know about Kobayashi.”
Shini gasped and grabbed the bar across the front of the treadmill. His eyes were wide with shock, but he said nothing for a moment – just kept running. Beads of sweat were starting to creep down his cheek. He grabbed his towel and wiped them away. Josh saw him look into the mirror, glancing at Granny. She was standing right behind him, still and impassive, her hands folded in the sleeves of her traditional lavender kimono. She gave Shini a short nod. Josh saw him swallow hard.
“Kobayashi? The Culture Minister? What...do you know about him?”
“We know...he wanted you...to throw the game,” Jessica panted. Out of the corner of his eye, Josh saw her surreptitiously nudge the Speed Down button. He felt a brief flush of victory, along with a burning sensation stinging his lungs.
“I don’t know what you’re...” Shini began. Then he shook his head. “No, I cannot do this.” His shoulders sagged and he hit the Off button on his treadmill.
Josh nearly gasped with relief and slapped the same button on his machine. All three of them slowed to a walking pace, their displays flashing up WARM DOWN: 1 MINUTE. “I couldn’t say anything,” Shini muttered. “He is so powerful – a government minister! I was afraid for my family if I exposed him.” He wiped his face again. “But you are Kiki’s friends – I know I can trust you. How on earth did you find out?”
“Why don’t...” Josh began. Even though they’d slowed down, his voice came out as a harsh whisper. A droplet of sweat fell in his eye and he blinked it away. “Why don’t you tell us everything that happened?”
Shini gave a long sigh and bowed his head, as if gathering his thoughts.
“Just before we met, he found me in the changing rooms. He was the man I told you was a fan. Before he ran away, he offered me money to play badly against England, to let them win. I asked him why, but he wouldn’t tell me.”
“How did he seem?” Jessica asked.
“Nervous,” said Shini, “like he didn’t really want to be there. But he was persistent, he offered me more and more money, and when I wouldn’t take it he said...he said something about my parents. That he hoped their restaurant was flourishing.”
“Then, that night...” Josh prompted.
“Those thugs attacked.” Shini nodded. “They were sending me a message. I got a phone call from Kobayashi, and I turned him down again. Then, of course, there was the accident at the photo shoot... I thought it might be a coincidence, really an accident...”
Josh glanced across Shini at Jessica and she nodded back at him. You wouldn’t have thought that if you’d seen the note we found in your jacket pocket, Josh thought.
“But then Takeshi was poisoned... I presume that canapé was meant for me.” A miserable frown passed over his face. “I should have gone to the police, but I was scared they would come after more of my teammates...or they would find out about Kiki...”
“It’s not your fault,” Josh said. “We understand. If it helps,
we don’t think they know about Kiki and they’re not targeting anyone else. They just want to keep you from playing at all.”
Shini let out a long breath. “That is...kind of a relief...” he said, though he really didn’t sound sure about it.
“Shini,” said Josh. “I’m sorry, but we have to ask...you didn’t tell him you would throw the game, did you?”
“What? No! I would never betray my country like that! And it wouldn’t just be my country, but yours too – the whole sport would suffer.”
“We know, sorry,” Josh said, glancing at Granny in the mirror. She gave him a nod so small it was almost invisible.
“Kobayashi has run away,” Jessica said. “But he wasn’t the mastermind. The real villain is a Yakuza boss named Yoshida Noboru.”
“Oh no.” Shini winced. “Yakuza, really?” The three treadmills finally wound down to a standstill, and Shini turned and leaned against the control panel. “We all hear stories about organized crime, corruption and violence, even in the football business...but they’re like tales of yūrei – ghosts and spirits.” He shook his head. “I never thought I’d get caught up in something like this.”
Josh and Jessica stepped off their machines, a little unsteadily.
“He’s betting huge sums on England to win,” Josh explained. “And he’s gone ahead and placed the bets – which means that he must be pretty sure you won’t play tomorrow.”
“Which means – oh.” Shini raised a hand to his mouth. “He’s going to try to...to take me out, between now and tomorrow afternoon.”
“You’ll need protection from now on,” said Granny. Shini looked up at her.
“And...excuse me, Murata-sama, but how do you three know all this? You are just two kids and – respectfully – a venerable old lady. I don’t understand.”
Josh looked at Granny, holding his breath. What could they tell him?
Granny nodded, slowly. “I think, since your life is at risk, you must know the truth. Shinichiro-san, I am the head of a team of government agents. Do not be deceived by appearances – being elders serves as our cover. Between us we have more than two hundred years of experience fighting crimes of all kinds, and Yoshida’s gambling scam and his attempts on your life are both serious crimes.”
Shini blinked and his mouth fell open. “But...you two,” he said, looking at Josh and Jessica. “You are just...kids...right?”
“They are part of my team, Shinichiro-san,” Granny said, her face utterly serious. “They will look after you.”
Shini blinked under her intense glare, and swallowed. “Hai, Murata-sama,” he said.
“Don’t worry,” Jessica said, patting his arm kindly. “We’re a lot stronger than we look.”
Although, Josh thought, mopping his forehead with his T-shirt, apparently not a lot faster.
“You should go to your room now,” Granny advised, “and not open the door for anyone you don’t trust absolutely. I will arrange for one of my team to stand guard outside. Tomorrow, we will all meet you here and ensure your safety until the match begins.”
“We...we’ll be going to the Gumyoji Temple in the morning,” Shini said. “Down in Yokohama... We always go and receive a blessing there, before a big match.”
“Then we’ll be there with you,” said Josh. “And we’ll stick with you until you walk onto the pitch.”
Josh’s stomach did a backflip as Shini smiled nervously and nodded at him. A rush of pride and a twist of anxiety were fighting it out inside him, stomping all over his insides like Godzilla and Mothra taking on Tokyo.
Granny said we were part of her team, he thought. She must really have faith in us. I swear, I’ll make her proud. But on the other hand, the responsibility was awe-inspiring: it was up to them not just to stop Yoshida, but possibly to save Shini’s life. It will be fine, he told himself. We can do this. We have to...
A guard was placed on Shini’s door straight away, and early the following morning the rest of Team Obaasan drove over to the hotel. When they arrived, they waited in the van, while Granny called Shini’s room to check all was okay.
“He is fine,” she reported, as Nana circled Josh and Jessica, carefully plugging in their earphones and attaching nearly invisible microphones to the insides of their T-shirts. “He will meet you in the lobby, and you will board the team bus with the players. People will think you’re team mascots.”
Mimasu pointed to one of the screens, where a map showed the team’s route from the hotel to the Gumyoji Temple and then to the stadium. “We’ve identified that the most likely point of attack will be from the supporters gathered outside the temple. The crowd will provide a prime opportunity for Yoshida to make an attempt on Shini.”
“Luckily, it will also be a perfect cover for us to move among them and keep an eye out for trouble,” said Mr. Yamamoto, strapping a retractable club to one of his arms and a taser to the other.
“You’ll stick with Shini,” said Granny, “in case of an attempt at close quarters. Keep him in sight, and make sure he stays away from the bus windows. Good luck, and remember everything you’ve learned.”
“Hai, obaasan.” Josh nodded. He had the urge to salute, but he thought that might look foolish, so he bowed his head briefly.
“We will,” Jessica added. Her voice was quiet and her face serious – that meant she was nervous, Josh thought.
The twins climbed out of the van and waited for Shini in the hotel lobby. Shini was grinning when he stepped out of the elevator, although Josh could make out subtle dark circles under his eyes. Had he had trouble sleeping? Josh’s heart juddered for a second. That was one possibility he hadn’t thought of – Shini could be so anxious he wouldn’t play his best.
“Hi guys,” Shini said. “Look what I’ve got.” He held up two matching Team Japan sports jackets, with white stripes down the sleeves and the official Japanese Football Association logo embroidered on the back. “Now you’re really part of the team. You can keep them, too, they were going spare.”
“Wow!” Josh and Jessica pulled on the jackets and turned to face each other – apart from the girl/boy thing it was almost like standing in front of a mirror. They looked good. Josh put one hand in his pocket and raised the other to fix his collar, and Jessica copied him in perfect sync. Shini laughed, some of the stress in his face evaporating.
The rest of the Japanese team gathered in the lobby. All of them seemed to be in a good mood, exchanging banter in lightning-fast Japanese and laughing. Takeshi was there too, officially recovered enough to play. Josh knew that was mostly thanks to Mr. Nakamura’s in-depth knowledge of deadly poisons and their antidotes.
Yeah, as long as nobody tries to assassinate my new friend, today could still be really awesome, he thought.
As they were about to board the team bus, Mimasu was getting off, her grey hair hidden beneath a mechanic’s cap. She winked as they climbed on.
“No sabotage here,” she said, her quiet voice coming in loud and clear through the earphones.
For the first few minutes of the ride to the temple, Josh sat staring out of the window.
I’m riding the Team Japan bus...to a temple...wearing a Team Japan tracksuit – on the morning of a Japan–England international! He grinned across the aisle at Jessica, who was grilling Goro Sasaki about his career and his hopes for the match. She looked up from her notebook, caught Josh’s eye and grinned back.
The players started up a call and response chant between the left and right sides of the bus:
“Oh ore no Nippon!”
“Kyō mo isshoni shōri mezase!”
“Nippon Nippon hai!”
“Hai! Hai! Hai!”
Something else caught Josh’s attention – was it his imagination, or had someone said the name “Kobayashi”? He looked around, wondering if it was a different Kobayashi, but then realized that the tinny voice that had spoken was coming from the bus radio. It was in Japanese, but he thought he caught Kobayashi’s name again and words for “government minist
er” and “missing”.
The bus crawled through the narrow, hilly streets of Yokohama, and Josh heard distant cheering. A moment later the green, gently sloping temple roof came into view over the low buildings. People were crowding into the streets. From behind police barriers, supporters were waving red and white flags and applauding the team as they arrived for their blessing.
Josh scanned their faces, the tight knot of worry returning to his stomach. Any one of the people in the crowd could have been sent by Yoshida to try to harm Shini – or the whole team. The group of raucous young men waving beer bottles...the middle-aged woman in a business suit... Even the two kids pressing themselves against the barrier could be plotting something nasty.
“Are you in place, obaasan?” he muttered.
“Hai,” came Granny’s voice. “We are dispersed through the crowd. All quiet so far.”
Josh peered at the crowd. There were a couple of elderly people there, but he couldn’t make out any of Team O.
“Shini,” he muttered over his shoulder, as the coach slowed. Shini was in the seat behind him and leaned forward to hear.
“Hai?”
“Keep away from the windows until we’re in the courtyard,” Josh said. Shini took a deep breath, his eyes staring into the middle distance for a second.
“...Okay.” He shifted across to the second seat and piled his bag and coat up between him and the window.
At last, the bus pulled into the temple courtyard and hissed to a halt.
“Any news?” Josh said.
“Nothing,” Mr. Nakamura’s voice replied. “It seems Shini is safe, for now.”
“Thanks, Mr. Nakamura,” Jessica said. “Thanks, Team O!”
As the players disembarked and discarded their boots, six monks shuffled down the steps from the main hall, their black and white robes crisp and their bald heads shining in the morning sun. They bowed low to the players, who all bowed back. Josh gazed up at the temple, heaving a sigh of relief that Shini was okay. He felt his breathing calm and his heart lift, the way it always did when they visited a Japanese temple. He loved the ancient lacquered wood of the pillars and the moss-edged jade tiles on the curved roof, the gentle crunching of gravel underfoot, the faint splash of running water from a low fountain full of lilies, and the way the sun gleamed off the smiling figure of Buddha in front of the hall. The temple was so peaceful, and so old, he couldn’t help feeling as if the problems of the world were fleeting and unimportant.
