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
“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
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