Another day as a theraphist

   Some time passed. Both Sakura and I combed through the area thoroughly, but we found nothing. The streets were growing quieter, the afternoon sun dipping lower behind the buildings. Finally I called her to meet me in the park by a bench under a large oak tree, whose wide branches provided a little shade from the heat.

   When Sakura arrived, she was out of breath, her cheeks red from running, her face etched with worry. 

   “Did you find him?” she asked, her voice trembling with hope.

   “More or less,” I replied, holding up a white baseball cap with ‘Galactic Riders’ written across the front in bold blue letters.

   “That’s Finn’s! Where did you find it?”

   “In this park. Sadly, I searched the entire area but couldn’t find him.”

   “Then we should keep looking!” she exclaimed, already starting to move.

   I grabbed her hand to stop her.   

   “Wait.” 

   She froze, looking at me with confusion.

   “You know, there’s something that’s been bothering me from the very beginning.”

   “What do you mean?” she asked, her tone starting to edge with irritation.

   I looked at her steadily, meeting her eyes. “That movie you said you watched together—what was it about?”

   Her confusion deepened. “What does that have to do with anything? We don’t have time for this!”

   I didn’t let up. “What’s wrong? Don’t want to answer, or… you don’t know the answer?”

   Her breath hitched, and she froze in place.

   “Did I hit the jackpot?”

   Sakura’s voice wavered as she tried to explain, “So what? I was sleepy, and—”

   “Please, stop lying.”

   She flinched at my words.

   I continued, “You don’t show any signs of being sleep-deprived, so I doubt you were sleepy. The truth is you were secretly using your phone during the entire movie, weren’t you?”

   Her lips parted slightly as if to deny it, but no words came. Her silence said it all.

   “I bet you were also on your phone during the walk home, which is why you didn’t notice your brother had disappeared.”

   Sakura froze for a moment, before finally countering, “...How did you know?”

   “When we exchanged our contact info, I noticed a slight look of disgust on your face. It was subtle, but it was there. It was as if you thought: If it wasn’t for the phone, this whole situation wouldn’t have happened. After that, it wasn’t hard to connect the dots.”

   Her mouth opened slightly, but she couldn’t form a reply.

   “Of course, don’t misunderstand me—I don’t blame you. You’re young, you want to enjoy life, but you can’t because you’re stuck taking care of some shitty brat. I mean, you probably have better things to do, right? Go shopping, hang out with your friends… Maybe you even felt relieved when—”

   “Shut up!!!” Sakura suddenly interrupted, her voice cracking with emotion.

   Her outburst made me stop mid-sentence, and I looked at her in surprise. Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued, her voice trembling but firm.

   “I won’t deny that I sometimes have thoughts like that. I want to be able to do the things my friends do. I want to enjoy life too. But I would never, in my life, think I’d be better off if he didn’t exist!”

   She took a shaky breath, and her tears started to stream down her cheeks. 

   “Finn is my little brother, and I love him with all my heart. I’d do anything for him. But now, because of me, somewhere out there, he’s wandering the city alone and terrified. What kind of big sister am I?!”

   Her tears came faster now, her shoulders trembling as she tried to hold it together.

   I turned toward the tree and said calmly, “Did you hear all that?”

   "Eh?" Sakura, still caught in the tide of her emotions, looked at me in confusion.

   Suddenly, a small boy with blond hair and green eyes emerged from behind the tree. He looked sheepish, his gaze glued to the ground as he softly said, “Big sis…”

   Sakura froze for a moment, her tear-streaked face a mixture of disbelief and relief. “Finn!” she cried, rushing toward him.

   She scooped him up in a tight hug, holding him as though he might disappear again. 

   “I’m sorry, Finn! I’m so sorry!” she repeated, her voice trembling.

   Finn, his own small arms wrapping around her, replied earnestly, “No, I’m sorry, big sis. Let’s go shopping next time, okay?”

   “Oh, Finn…" Hearing this, Sakura’s tears returned, and she pulled him closer. "We’ll go wherever you want.”

   I watched the scene unfold, a small smile tugging at my lips. 

   “All’s well that ends well,” I said, crossing my arms as I turned toward the tree. “Thanks for finding him.”

   Luna and Bel stepped out from their hiding spot behind the tree. Luna’s expression was calm but satisfied, while Bel grinned from ear to ear, clearly proud of his part in the plan.

   “What does that mean?” 

   Sakura looked between us, her confusion deepening.

   I turned back toward her, scratching the back of my neck. 

   “Well... In short, I suspected from the beginning that you weren’t telling me the whole truth about Finn’s disappearance. Let’s face it, kids don’t just vanish completely because you look away for a second. We don’t live in a cartoon.”

   Sakura’s brow furrowed as she processed my words, but I pressed on.

   “Besides,” I added, “kids don’t run off without a reason. He must’ve been curious about something. When we retraced your steps, I noticed there was only one place in that area that might’ve caught his attention. A little hint: the smell.”

   Sakura’s eyes widened slightly as realization dawned. “A pastry store!”

   “Bingo. That’s why I asked Luna and Bel to go inside the store. Eventually, she found him standing inside, glued to the cake display. At first, I was going to call you right away. But then Bel told me that Finn was worried you might hate him.”

   Sakura’s expression froze, stunned. “Hate him?”

   I nodded. “He noticed that you’d been on your phone a lot today. It made him think you didn’t enjoy spending time with him anymore and might even hate him. That’s why he wanted to get you a cake. He thought that if he got you something nice, it’d make you happy again.”

   Sakura looked down at her little brother, her face etched with a mixture of pain and tenderness. “Is that true, Finn?”

   Finn nodded hesitantly, his voice small. “...I’m sorry,” he murmured.

   “No, I should be the one apologizing for worrying you so much. I’ll never let something like this happen again.” 

   Sakura’s heart seemed to melt all over again as she hugged him even tighter.

   Watching the two of them, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction. It was a beautiful moment, a rare glimpse of genuine love and reconciliation.