Football Frenzy by Alex Ko Page B

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