Kimono Code by Susannah McFarlane Read Free Book Online Page B

counter. Like the lady at the temple in Tokyo, she was wearing a simple white kimono with a yellow belt.
    â€˜Do you have a red cherry-blossom kimono that would fit me?’ she asked.
    â€˜Ah, yes,’ replied the lady. ‘It has been prepared for you.’
    EJ went into the change rooms and put on the kimono, stockings and sandals. Finally, she took off her wig and rotated the dial to ‘geisha’. There was a whirring noise as the black hair of the wig was whipped up into the traditional geisha hairstyle. She walked out of the change room.
    â€˜Very good,’ said the lady. ‘Allow me to help you with your make-up while I tell you about this fan.’
    â€˜My fan?’ asked EJ, taking a closer look at her pretty but ordinary-looking fan.
    The lady nodded. As she applied the white geisha-style make-up to EJ’s face, she said, ‘Your kimono is very special, EJ-san. The blossom petals are actually small microchips. They can be removed from the kimono and stuck anywhere. You use this fan to track them. Activate the device with these buttons on the handle. There, you are done.’
    EJ looked in the small mirror that the lady held up. With black hair, white face and black-lined eyes, she didn’t look like herself anymore. Which was exactly the point. ‘ Arigato gozaimasu ,’ said EJ to the lady, who bowed in reply.
    As EJ walked back to the tea-house, she was amused to see tourists taking her photo as she walked. However, she didn’t stop. She reached the tea-house and walked straight past the ticket woman who barely raised her eyes when the little geisha in the red cherry-blossom kimono walked past into the tea-room.
    EJ closed the screen door behind her. The tatami mats and table were set up for the next tea ceremony. Everything was set out as before. EJ looked at the panels and remembered that the geisha in the fox kimono had turned to do something, but what? EJ looked around. Then she noticed the ceramic white cat on the table—the maneki-neko . Next to it was a fan. EJ picked up the fan and opened it out. She wasn’t surprised to see a fox painted on the fan nor the kunoichi symbol engraved on the handle, but she was surprised to see two small buttons. EJ pressed one, and a sucking noise came from the bottom of the handle. She pressed the other, and there was a whirring sound as large gusts of air were blown from the fan.
    It picks up something and then blows it out, guessed EJ. Then she looked at the cat. Hmmm, I wonder.
    EJ gently moved the arm of the cat. As she brought it forward, the head of the statue tilted back. EJ looked inside and saw a dark green powder. ‘It really is a good luck charm,’ she murmured, smiling.
    Taking out her test CHARM, EJ sent the sample back to SHINE . But she was sure she had found the Blossom Block.
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    The message gave EJ an idea. ‘I think we might make this tea a little weaker,’ she murmured. She took the fan and put the handle into the maneki-neko . When she pressed the button, the Blossom Block powder was sucked up into the handle. She put some normal tea powder from the table back into the maneki-neko and pulled the arm back up. The head swung shut. When EJ pressed the second button on the fan, it blew the Blossom Block all over the room, but the particles were so fine that no one would ever know they were there.
    â€˜So that’s how they do it,’ said EJ. ‘Well, they will be blowing normal tea over the last cherry blossom trees in Kyoto now!’
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    It was her phone. JV12 had sent her a message.

    EJ needed to get out of there, and quickly.

    As several fox-kimono geisha entered the tea-house, a geisha in a red cherry-blossom kimono walked out.
    â€˜ Sumimasen ,’ she said quietly from behind her fan. As she bowed to each geisha, EJ took tiny blossom petals from her kimono and, brushing against them, quickly placed one on each geisha’s kimono. They stuck like glue