Tokyo Surprise (8 page)

The civilized atmosphere was shattered, though, by a loud wailing noise. It was coming from a teenage girl with bright pink pigtails, who was performing into a microphone on a small stage in the
centre of the room. The wail eventually settled on a recognizable note, and the girls who surrounded the stage squealed and applauded madly.

“She’s not that good,” Josh muttered.

“That’s Yoko Yay,” Jessica told him under her breath.

Josh shrugged. “Don’t know that one.”

“You’re probably better off. She’s
mega
-rich, ultra-spoiled, and talentless! She’s top of her class in throwing diva tantrums and falling out of limousines, but
her singing is horrid.”

They followed Granny down the corridor to their private room. Miou, Hina and Yoshiko immediately crowded around the two touch-screen displays that showed the song choices. Before Josh knew what
was happening Hina was up on the miniature stage, giving a half-English, half-Japanese performance of “Fly Me to the Moon”.

The three ladies were taking it all so seriously, and the setting was so cultured, that Josh started getting nervous – what if they wanted him to do a song? What if, even worse, they
actually expected him
to be able to sing
?

Sure enough, a few minutes later he found a microphone thrust into his hand and everybody looking at him expectantly. He went over and stared at the song list, but it was no good – all the
songs he had ever known had flown out of his head.

“I know!” said Jessica, leaning across him and tapping the screen. “Yellow Submarine!” The familiar chords started up and Jessica grabbed a microphone and launched into
the first verse. Josh shot her a grateful look and joined in, and soon he realized he was actually having fun. The old ladies were nodding along happily, and he thought he even saw Granny Murata
smile.

When they’d finished, Granny stood up.

“Josh, Jessica, will you come with me?” she asked. “We passed a window with a beautiful view of the city – I’d like to show you some temples we might visit later
today.”

Josh and Jessica jumped to their feet. Time for ninja action!

“Please excuse us,” Josh said, bowing to the ladies.

“Have a nice time,” said Yoshiko cheerily. “Now whose turn was it?”

“Ooh, mine I think,” said Miou, belting out the opening bars of “What’s New Pussycat?”.

Josh and Jessica slipped out after Granny. Out in the corridor, she reached into a pocket and pulled out a gizmo with a small screen and a dial. She beckoned the twins closer, and they drew
around her, watching as she switched the dial to “receive”. The screen filled with static, and then resolved into the smiling face of Nana, Team O’s youthful surveillance
expert.

“Good afternoon, Mimi,” said Nana. “I’ve tapped into the CCTV in the karaoke bar. Yoshida must be rewarding the bodyguard handsomely for his treachery. He’s been
living it up all afternoon.” Her face disappeared, replaced by grainy surveillance footage of the hulking shape of Kiki’s bodyguard disappearing into one of the other private rooms.
“Unfortunately,” Nana’s voice went on, “we have no visual access inside the room, so we don’t know if he’s alone. Be careful.”

Granny nodded, and switched off the device.

“Stay here,” she told Josh and Jessica. “I will investigate.”

She shuffled slowly down the corridor, past all the doors to the private rooms, putting on an exaggerated old-lady walking speed so she had plenty of opportunity to look inside each room as she
passed. As the twins watched, she suddenly turned around and strode back towards them.

“I have found him,” she said. “He is in room 1, the VIP room. Unfortunately, he has company – two more of Yoshida’s associates and a group of young ladies singing
to them.”

“Are we gonna bust in and pull him out?” Josh asked.

“No,” Granny said. She gestured to her kimono. “It may have been a mistake to come here under cover. I cannot fight properly in this kimono – and I cannot risk changing
into my Team O uniform in public.”

“Well – maybe you don’t have to go in there at all,” Josh said slowly. “If we can get him to follow us out of the building...there was that alley next door, right?
Then we...”

“We?” Granny asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, okay,” Josh said. “
You
could tackle him on your own and get him to tell us where they’ve hidden Kiki.”

“Right – we could lure him out!” said Jessica, her eyes shining. “He knows us – and he really doesn’t like us. If we burst in on him and then run for it,
I’m sure he’ll follow.”

“I do not like this plan,” said Granny. Josh’s face fell. But then Granny nodded. “But it will work. And we must find Kiki quickly. Go back inside and sing one more song.
That will give me time to change in private and prepare to ambush the bodyguard. Try to get him downstairs as quickly as possible.” She hurried off.

Just as she was disappearing, a high-pitched squeal made Josh and Jessica turn.

“OH. My.
GAAHD
!” Yoko Yay and her gang of teenage girls were coming down the hall towards them. Yoko was waving her mobile phone madly. “It’s finally happened!” Yoko was skipping down the hall. “I just got the call! I have to go right now to get ready for my
live studio recording
.
Banzai!
Banzai!
” She did a couple of dance moves on the spot, and then looked around at her entourage. “I guess
some
of you can come backstage...” she said. At once there was a
commotion of chatter from the girls.

“Oh, me!”

“Yoko, pick me!”

“No, me, me!”

Josh pressed himself against the wall to let them pass. None of them gave him a second glance – or even a first one. “At last, Grandpa’s come through for me.” Yoko
clutched her mobile phone to her chest.

The crowd passed by and disappeared around a corner. Josh brushed himself down. “Come on,” he said, “let’s get back in there and get on with the plan.”

But Jessica didn’t move – she was frozen to the spot, staring after Yoko. “Josh!” she said. “Yay’s not her real name!”

“Well, no,” said Josh. “Sounds like a stupid stage name to me...”

“But Josh, her real name is
Yoshida
.”

Josh stared at her. “...You think Mr. Yoshida is Yoko Yay’s grandfather?”

“The leader of the Iron Fist – the one who has Kiki!” Jessica grabbed his arm. Josh felt a chill run down his spine as it all started to fall into place. Yoko’s ambition,
the sabotaged pop stars... “And,
and
, she was saying
banzai
!”

“Of
course
!” Josh said. “
Banzai Banzai Benzaiten!
Mr. Yoshida kidnapped Kiki so Yoko can take her place on that new music show.”

“They are
not
going to get away with this,” Jessica hissed, opening the door to their private room.

“You’re right, Jess,” Josh replied. “We’re not going to let them.”

“Ah, Josh-kun, Jessica-chan. Did you have a nice look at the view?” Hina asked, as they stepped inside.

“Oh yes, it’s fantastic,” said Josh.

“Where is Mimi?” Yoshiko said.

“She’s just gone to the bathroom,” said Jessica smoothly.

“Well, it’s your turn,” said Hina, handing Jessica the microphone. Josh and Jessica nodded to each other, and Josh checked his watch. About four minutes, then Granny would be
ready for them to lure the bodyguard out of his room. Jessica went to the song list and picked something, and a few seconds later a familiar base line kicked in and Josh grinned at her. It was that
song of Kiki’s – “
Kumo no ue no ai
”!

Despite feeling the beginnings of a nervous twitch, Josh threw himself into the song. Then it was over, and Jessica and Josh bowed to the three old ladies.

“Excuse me,” Josh said to Hina. “Could I please borrow your camera? The view from the window was so beautiful – I would love to go back and take a picture.”

“Of course,” Hina said, taking her digital camera out of its case and handing it over.

“I thought we could try to take his picture,” Josh whispered after they’d left the room and shut the door behind them.

“Good idea,” Jessica said. “He’ll
hate
that.”

“I just hope the camera’s still in one piece at the end of this,” Jessica whispered as they crept up the corridor towards the VIP suite.

“I just hope
we
are!” Josh muttered back, checking the camera flash. “Three, two, one – go!”

They pushed open the door to the VIP suite and Josh raised the camera, pressing the button over and over again.
Snap snap snap snap snap snap
.

The group of girls cringed away from the camera and squealed, and the bodyguard and Yoshida’s goons blinked in surprise.

“There he is!” Jessica cried. “There’s Kiki’s bodyguard!”

“You again!” the bodyguard roared, and he leaped to his feet.

“Go!” Josh yelled. They bolted down the corridor. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that yes, the bodyguard was following them – and so were the other two Yakuza thugs.

Josh and Jessica ran through the lobby and past the receptionist, and Josh pounded the “down” button on the elevator.

Nothing happened. There was no noise of the elevator wheels moving; no lights flashing.

“Oh, come on!” Josh snapped. A smashing noise made them both turn – the bodyguard was crashing through the lobby with the goons in his wake, upsetting the leather sofas and
antique vases.

“Come on, come on...” Josh jabbed the button again as the receptionist shrieked and sprinted to catch a falling vase. The bodyguard was storming closer.

A uniformed staff member leaped in front of the bodyguard.

“Excuse me, what do you think you’re—” The bodyguard shoved him aside.

“Take the stairs!” Jessica snapped, diving for a door on the other side of the room. Josh followed, and they started down a concrete stairwell, Jessica taking the lead. Josh peered
over the edge of the banister – the drop seemed to go on for ever.

Suddenly a terrible thought struck Josh.

“Jess!” he said, swinging around a corner as the door banged open above them.

“What?” Jessica shouted back. There were heavy footfalls on the stairs.

“How will we get to the alleyway now?”

“...Don’t know!” Jessica said. “Just keep running!”

Josh flew down the stairs. Just ahead of him Jessica grabbed the banister to pivot around another corner and kept on going. Josh ran until his legs felt stiff, then until they
felt like jelly, then until he couldn’t feel anything any more. Josh didn’t know what floor they’d reached; he didn’t even know how close the two goons were to catching him.
He just kept running.

Finally, they hit the last set of stairs. A flash of black caught his eye. He turned to look, misjudged the corner, and ran smack into a wall. When lights stopped flashing in front of his eyes,
he looked up and saw the lithe silhouette of Granny Murata swing across the stairwell and into the two Yakuza thugs that were following them, knocking them off their feet.

The bodyguard was clattering down the stairs towards Josh, his face red with rage. He grabbed for Josh’s throat but he ducked away and the bodyguard ended up punching the wall.

“Argh!” he groaned, cradling his hand. He turned on Josh. “You little—” Josh backed away, but before the bodyguard could make another grab for him Jessica appeared,
sprinting back up the steps to their landing. She cannoned into the bodyguard with her shoulder. He staggered, but recovered quickly and got an arm around her neck. Josh tried to land a kick on the
back of the man’s knees, hoping they’d buckle, but the bodyguard used Jessica like a shield. She let out an angry choking noise, and scrabbled with her hands on his arm as her face
turned red.

Suddenly the bodyguard yelped – Jessica had found his little finger and pulled with all her might. His grip came loose and she scrabbled out from beneath his arm and ran over to Josh. The
bodyguard looked at them with eyes full of loathing. Josh knew what to do, without even glancing at Jessica. In unison they spun around and placed two high kicks in their enemy’s face. There
was the snap of bone breaking. He fell down, out cold.

“Josh, Jessica – you are all right.” Josh looked up to see Granny Murata descending the stairs two at a time.

“Granny!” they both cried out. Looking up, Josh could see two figures spread out on the concrete floor of the landing above them. Groaning and rolling from side-to-side, they had
clearly taken a battering. Granny looked down at the bodyguard, whose huge limbs spread out around their feet. She nodded slowly, looking him up and down.

“Your technique is still in need of improvement,” she commented. “But your improvisational skills are good.” Josh and Jessica grinned at each other.

Josh kneeled down, turned the bodyguard over and rummaged in his jacket pocket. He found a wallet and a mobile phone.

“These should help,” he said, passing the wallet and phone to Granny. He turned back to the bodyguard and checked him for other pockets, or any kind of clue. He pulled the
man’s jacket open. That was funny – the lining was black silk, apart from one white seam. He pulled on the silk and the seam split open. A hidden pocket! And there was something
inside...