Tokyo Surprise (2 page)

The seat belt sign flicked off with a soft
bing
, and Jessica gasped. She was staring at something further up the plane, her eyes shining with excitement.

“Josh!” she hissed. “Look who it is!”

Josh looked. There was his new nemesis, standing at the curtained doorway to first class – the guy with the sunglasses.

“Oh great,” he said. “We’re on the same flight as that thug.”

Jessica gave him a look of disbelief. “Are you
blind
? Look who he’s talking to!”

Josh looked again. The man was talking to a very pretty Japanese girl, a little older than Josh, who was wearing a cropped high-fashion pink shirt, black jeans, and an amused smile.

“It’s Kiki!” Jessica hissed. “Oh wow, we are sharing air with Chiba Mikiko! That man must be her bodyguard. I knew she was in London,” she added, straining in her
seat to get a better look, “recording English language tracks for her new album.”

“Oh,
that
Kiki,” Josh said, as Kiki and the bodyguard disappeared through the curtain into first class. “The pop idol with all those albums clogging up your iPod. She
sang that song you’ve listened to every day for months about being in love with a cloud.”

“It’s ‘
Kumo no ue no ai’
, you idiot,” Jessica said, still grinning. “‘Love
On
The Clouds’.” She took a deep breath and then
dived into her bag and pulled out a notebook and pen. “I have to get an interview. Can you imagine Ellie Rowland’s face when I get it onto the front page of the school paper?
She’ll just
die
.”

“What?” Josh stared at Jessica. “No way. Kiki will never talk to you just like that. Anyway, she’s in first class; you can’t just wander up there.”

“I
have
to – I’ve never been on the front page before.” She unclipped her seat belt and stood up. “Get ready to cover for me when I give you the
signal.”

“Wait, Jess,” Josh said. “Come back –
Jess!
” But it was too late. Jessica strolled off, while Josh sank lower in his seat and tried to look invisible,
wondering whether anyone would believe him if he claimed not to know her.

A flight attendant came out of the midsection cabin, pushing the refreshment cart. Josh groaned. Jessica was going to have to squeeze past her to get into first class. He felt his heart pound
harder with every step Jessica took. They were on course for collision...Josh raised his hand slowly towards the
Call Attendant
button on his seat, but it was too late...

“I’m Kiki’s cousin,” she said in a loud, confident voice, “can I just slip past?”

Unpleasant visions of both of them being taken down by Kiki’s own personal Incredible Hulk danced before Josh’s eyes. What happened if you got in trouble on an aeroplane? He imagined
being handcuffed and forced to spend the rest of the journey in the hold.

The attendant raised her eyebrows at Jessica. Josh tried to beam a warning into the back of his sister’s head by sheer force of concentration.
She’s not buying it, Jess! Abort,
abort!

“What are you doing back here, if your seat is in first class?” the attendant asked.

“I’ve never been on a double-decker plane before,” said Jessica. “I wanted to have a look around. Bored now.”

The attendant hesitated. Then Jessica flicked her hair dramatically over her shoulder like something out of a shampoo advert, and shot a look at Josh that said, “Help me!”

Josh sighed.
She’s bailed me out hundreds of times
, he thought.
I suppose I can’t abandon her now.

He sucked in a deep breath and then threw his head forward and went into a spectacular coughing fit, clutching the seat in front of him with one hand and mashing the
Call Attendant
button
with the other. He opened one watering eye and peered between the seats to see the attendant bow apologetically to Jessica and hurry towards him. Jessica gave him a thumbs up and slipped away into
first class.

By the time the attendant had kneeled beside him, patted his back, made sure he wasn’t choking, offered to find a doctor, brought him water and insisted on fluffing his complimentary
pillow, he felt quite guilty for tricking her. But then, the fake coughing fit made him feel a little sick, so he really was glad of the water.

After the attendant had gone and the bright spots had stopped flashing in front of his eyes, Josh let out a long sigh and slumped in his seat.

Willing Jessica to get to Kiki and back without causing any more trouble, Josh took his sketchpad and pencils out of his bag. He drew a quick sketch of a green bulging monster in a black suit
with sunglasses growling into a mobile phone, then one of a cute manga-style Kiki making stupid kissy faces at a small fluffy cloud. He wrote the kanji for “love” over her head. Thanks
to Granny Murata insisting on lessons whenever they would visit, Josh knew a few basic kanji. It wasn’t enough to be able to read manga in the original language yet, and he was hoping that
they might get to learn from more exciting books on this trip. Who needed to know how to write “to whom it may concern” when they could be learning “robot weapons activated”
instead?

A shadow fell across him and he looked up.

It was the black-suited hulk.

He loomed over Josh. One enormous hand reached for his pen. Josh moved without really meaning to, one arm coming up to block the bodyguard’s hand and the other drawing back, ready to throw
a punch. Then he realized what he was doing. The man could probably kill him with his little toe, and he looked like he wanted to. But the bodyguard just snorted and stepped back.

“Josh Murata,” he grumbled. “Come now.”

Josh had a very bad feeling about this, but there didn’t seem to be any alternative. He squeezed out of his seat still clutching his
sketchbook and pen, his legs feeling like lead weights. What had Jessica
done
?

The bodyguard nudged Josh in front of him towards the first-class cabin.

The curtain parted to reveal big plushy seats that reclined all the way down, with little tables next to them, discreet reading lamps and thick, woollen blankets. If he was going to be forced to
stay here for the whole flight, Josh decided it might not be so bad. But then the bodyguard shoved him forwards.

Josh looked around for his sister. To his surprise he heard two female voices giggling, and spotted Jessica sitting beside Kiki, scribbling in her notebook.

“Josh!” Jessica waved him over. “Come and meet Kiki!”

Kiki turned her 100-megawatt smile on Josh. “Hi,” she said. Josh felt a grin spread across his face. Jessica had got away with it.

As he walked down the aisle, he saw that the occupied seats were full of snoring, well-dressed business people wearing cashmere eye masks as they slept. The bodyguard loitered in the doorway.
Josh was sure he could feel the bodyguard’s glare burning into the back of his head like a laser weapon.

He thought hard and finally dragged the right Japanese phrase out of a dusty drawer in his brain.

“
Hajimemashite
,” he said, hoping he’d pronounced it right.

Kiki grinned. “I am pleased to meet you, too,” she said. “Jessica told me you’re an artist.”

“Well, I draw a bit,” Josh said, holding the sketchbook even tighter.

“Kiki wants you to draw a manga portrait of her for my article,” Jessica said.

“Much cooler than a boring photo,” Kiki explained.

“Sure!” Josh kneeled in the empty seat in front of Kiki and set his sketchbook on the headrest. He had a good angle on Kiki, but when he looked up he found himself on eye level with
the bodyguard, too. An attendant swept up to them and bowed deeply to Kiki.

“Is there anything else I can get for you, miss?” she asked. “We have a wide selection of sodas and teas available.”

“Would you two like anything?” Kiki asked.

“Um – a lemonade, thanks!” Jessica grinned. Josh asked for the same, and Kiki ordered iced tea. The attendant left and returned barely thirty seconds later with three clinking
glasses and a selection of lemon and lime slices in a tiny porcelain bowl.

“So, what’s your favourite type of movie?” Jessica asked, starting a new page in her notebook.

“I like samurai epics,” Kiki said, making sweeping arm gestures as if she was wielding a sword. Josh stopped sketching for a moment to make a note to himself on another page –
draw Kiki as samurai later
. “The kind with beautiful women in fantastic gowns battling it out with katanas.”

She swept her arm round again and cried, “
Hai!
” Josh saw the bodyguard jump, before he realized Kiki was only playing. One of the passengers lifted her eye mask and glared at
them, then turned over, muttering in Japanese.

“Your English is fantastic,” Jessica said.

“
Arigat
ō
, Jessica,” said Kiki, bowing in her seat. “I’ve enjoyed very much recording songs in English. I hope people like them. Many things Western are really big
in Tokyo.”

“We’re staying with our granny,” said Jessica. “She’s very traditional, and she doesn’t like Western things much.”

“Oh, that’s a shame,” said Kiki. “I love Hollywood and all the famous stars. I like to visit the Tokyo Tower
Ro Ningyokan
.” Josh pulled an uncertain face at
the Japanese phrase. “The waxworks museum,” Kiki said with a smile. “They have lots of new statues this summer. Including a fabulous new one of me!” She smiled with one
corner of her mouth quirked up. Josh sketched it in quickly. Yes, that was the expression he wanted, cool and happy. “You’ll have to go and see it and tell me what you think.”

“What are your plans for the future, after the new album?” Jessica asked.

“Hmm.” Kiki shifted in her seat, glancing around at the other passengers. Only a few of them were awake, and they were buried in thick Japanese newspapers or watching an in-flight
movie. “You won’t publish this for a few weeks, right?” she asked Jessica.

“Right, it’s for my school paper,” said Jessica. “It’ll go out after the summer.”

“Well, I have a big secret.” Kiki leaned in to Jessica, and Josh bent his head closer to hear. “Every famous girl in Japan auditioned to present
Banzai Banzai Benzaiten
,
a brand-new live music show, and I won the job! But nobody knows it’s me yet. It’s going to be a big surprise.”

“Wow!” said Jessica, writing this down. “That’s amazing. I can’t wait to see it.”

“I’m so excited,” whispered Kiki. “I get to present the show dressed as Benzaiten, the goddess of water and music. My costume is incredible.” Josh made another note
–
draw Kiki as Benzaiten: mandolin, river, etc.

“I think I’ve finished,” he said. He looked down at his sketch. It was pretty good, he thought, as he handed it to Kiki. He watched anxiously as she held up her portrait and
studied it. Then she gave Josh another dazzling smile.

“It’s fantastic!” she said. “It’s just like me. You really are talented. I would love to have a copy.”

“I’ll make you one,” said Josh. “I could do it in colour.” He tried his best not to blush.

“Here,” Kiki said, borrowing Jessica’s pen. She turned over the portrait and wrote something on the back. Josh realized it was an address. He felt a grin spread across his
face. Jessica was looking at him with wide, gleeful eyes. “I’ve liked hanging out with you – why don’t you bring the copy round to my apartment? I’ll take you to see
the
Ro Ningyokan
! Just tell security you’re there to see Minnie Mouse, and they’ll know I invited you.”

“Wow!” Jessica said, her voice going squeaky with excitement. “Cool!” Kiki gave her a hug and shook Josh’s hand, and then the bodyguard was suddenly at their side,
ushering them back to their seats.

They passed the flight attendant, who did a spectacular double take to see Jessica going back to her standard class seat. Jessica smiled sweetly, and Josh bowed low, sorry to have tricked her
earlier. He clutched his sketchpad, and Jessica kept reading through her notes.

“I don’t believe it,” she whispered. “Kiki invited us over to her apartment!”

“We’ve already talked our way in to speak to a pop idol and we’re not even out of Europe yet,” Josh said, looking out of the window and seeing green, damp-looking fields
below. “This could be the best trip ever.”

Granny Murata was waiting for them at the Arrivals Gate. She looked serious. As always, she was dressed traditionally, in a lilac kimono printed with climbing vines and little
white flowers, tied with a wide silk sash. Her thin arms were folded neatly in front of her.

“Hi, Granny,” said Jessica, as they wheeled their suitcases over to her.

One of Granny’s eyebrows twitched. “
Ohay
ō
gozaimasu,
Josh-kun, Jessica-chan,” she said in formal Japanese.

“
Ohay
ō
, Granny,” Josh replied. Granny gave him a piercing stare. “I mean,
obaasan
,” he added quickly. Granny Murata nodded curtly.

“I received an e-mail from your parents. They have arrived safely in Africa. They bring much honour on our family with their work there.”

“We’re very proud,
obaasan
,” Jessica said, with a little bow. Granny nodded again.