Shasa arrived home with the children. The youngest fell asleep on her shoulder, while the other kids yawned. Tiredness took over their bodies. Their minds called for a nap. She took all of them to their rooms, laid them on the bed, and covered them with blankets. Now the only one left was Miyu. Miyu insisted on waiting until brother Haruto arrived.
Miyu, while yawning, said, "Sister… when will brother arrive? It's already so late."
Shasa looked at the clock and then patted her head, "Sweetie, you should go to sleep. He might be on the way. When he comes, I am going to teach him some manners."
Miyu shook her head left and right, "No… no… no. Brother said he will give us gifts, and I want to be the first one to receive them."
Shasa calmly said, "Okay… okay… I promise you will be the first one to get a gift. Now go to bed. But don't tell the others, otherwise, you won't be the first one… okay?"
Miyu smiled and went upstairs.
Shasa went to the hall and waited for him to arrive. Time passed silently. It was past midnight. She started to feel uneasy. Her tension grew with every moment. Then suddenly, the bell rang. She ran to the door and opened it. A bright light made her eyes struggle, and she heard a familiar sound. Everything around her started to fade and shake.
She opened her eyes and saw Miyu standing in front of her. Miyu, with her soft hands, turned Shasa's head toward the clock. It was 8 in the morning. Shasa rubbed her eyes and looked around. She held her head and realized what she saw was just a dream. She remembered waiting for him and then falling asleep on the table.
Miyu pulled her hand and asked, "Sister… where is brother? I don't see him. I checked everywhere, but I couldn't find him."
Shasa checked every place Haruto often hid, but there were no traces of him. Her stress grew bit by bit. She calmed herself and, with a faint voice, said, "Listen, Miyu, your sister is going somewhere, so you have to take care of your little siblings. I will tell Aunt Haritha to cook for you all. Don't cause any trouble for her and be a good child… okay?"
Miyu asked, "Are you going to bring brother?"
She nodded and went to her neighbor, where Aunt Haritha lived.
Aunt Haritha lived in a two-story house. It was a big house meant for a large family, but she lived alone. Her husband had left her long ago. She raised her only son without a father. Thanks to her education and skills, she worked at the country's top MNC. She raised her son happily, and he even became an executive in the same company. Later, she retired. Her only dream was to see her son happy and spend the rest of her life peacefully. But tragedy always finds its way. Around four years back, her son was caught in an accident and passed away, leaving her alone. She even tried to take her life, but failed. Slowly, she started doing donations and grew close to the children, which gave her a reason to live again.
Shasa rang the bell. She heard loud footsteps coming close, and then Aunt opened the door. Without wasting time, Shasa told her everything. She was breathless. Aunt told her to calm down and catch her breath. After hearing everything, Aunt went to the orphanage while Shasa ran toward Uncle Kaito's shop.
With every step she took, negative thoughts filled her mind. She recalled the news about people going missing. Her stress and anxiety grew abnormally. She hoped Haruto would be at Uncle's place.
When she arrived near his house, she saw Uncle leaving with a bag. She stopped him. With a trembling voice, she said, "Uncle… uncle, is Haruto here? He must be here, right?"
Before he replied, he saw the stressed child in front of him, whose voice was trembling showed that something was wrong. Uncle calmly said, "Shasa… calm down. Tell me what happened, and why are you asking about Haruto? He's not here. Let's head inside and talk."
They went inside. Uncle signaled his wife to make tea. They sat down. Uncle asked what happened. She told him everything from last night until now. Uncle knew Haruto, and he would never do something like this. He grabbed his phone and called his friends, hoping Haruto was there. But after talking to them, he wasn't there. Their minds filled with heavy thoughts. Negativity took over. They decided to report it to the police.
Uncle took his car, and they went straight to the police station. When they arrived, Uncle saw Takumi standing outside. Takumi saw Shasa and Uncle Kaito. He greeted them, and they entered together.
Inside, she saw Takumi's father talking to officers. Uncle found something suspicious. He didn't know about the past between the orphanage and Takumi's father. He thought maybe Haruto and Takumi were close friends since childhood. After finishing with the officers, Takumi's father shook hands with them and turned around. He greeted Shasa and Uncle. With a sharp voice, he said, "Miss, you don't have to worry. I know their senior well. They will do their best. They will find him as soon as possible. Rest assured. My apologies, I have another matter to attend to. As you know, I'm a very busy person."
After saying those words, he walked outside but stopped after a few steps. Turning around with a smile, he said, "Ah, Miss, I almost forgot. What have you thought about the deal? If there are changes, let me know. Well, we'll meet again soon."
After he left, Uncle asked her with a strange look, "What's he talking about… and what deal?"
Shasa explained everything about how they wanted to adopt the children in exchange for a marketing stunt.
Hearing this, Uncle became furious. "Are they completely insane, trading children for a few extra bucks? I can't let this happen, no matter what. You should have told me this earlier."
Shasa replied with guilt, "Sorry, Uncle, I should have told you earlier… but we rejected it on the spot. Even if we told you, nothing would happen. They are part of a large company. Even the law kneels beneath them. And… we are just normal people. What power do we have?"
Uncle scratched his head. "I know, child. But you don't have to worry. When it comes to the law, I know someone. He was once a great person, and he owes me a debt. When the time comes, he might come in handy. (Pause) Now you should go home. The children are waiting for you. Take a rest. I'll handle everything myself… you know I'm good at handling these kinds of things. Okay? Don't worry."
He smiled and went to meet the officers.
She walked outside. Takumi was standing there. When she came close, Takumi bowed his head. "I am sorry, Haruto's sister. My dad was rude. He is always like that. For him, the company is everything… more than f…" He stopped at that moment.
She replied, "No, it's not your fault. It's your dad who wants this, not you. So stop blaming yourself."
Hearing this gave Takumi some courage. "Sister, don't worry. I convinced my maternal grandfather. He has already begun to search for him, and even Ayana's family is ready to help."
Shasa thanked him for everything he was doing for his friends.
Takumi whispered, "Sister… you should be careful. My father's men are keeping an eye on you and the family. They are recording every movement. So please, be careful. I have to go now, or else he will scold me."
After hearing this, Shasa realized something. How did he know about Haruto going missing? How did he himself come to the police station? Suspicion and stress clouded her mind. She took a deep breath and started walking home.
When she arrived near her home, she was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice the children clinging to her. Every child asked where brother was. Her reply remained the same. She said, while hiding her tears, "He went to get gifts for you. If you remain good children, he will give you gifts. But you must listen to Aunt Haritha and me. Okay? Now let's head inside. You must be hungry. Let me cook something delicious for you."
Her face hid her emotions, but her heart was wavering. She went inside with the children.
Night arrived. She somehow managed to put them to sleep. Deep in her mind, every single thought was eating her away. She went to the hall. Suddenly, the phone rang.
She picked it up. It was Uncle. He said he was waiting outside the home. She went outside, and Uncle Kaito was there in his car. He told her to sit inside. They were going to the station. The officers had found something.
She looked back at the orphanage. Uncle assured her they would return within an hour. No one would realize they had gone out. She hesitated for a while but got in.
They reached the station. She looked around, but there was nothing. A police officer came up with a bag and a camera. He said, "Miss, this is the only thing we found near the place you mentioned he was last seen. We verified it through his school ID and with this camera. We apologize, but we are trying our best. You can take these. We already inspected everything. There was nothing suspicious."
She moved her trembling hands toward the bag, but her emotions were piled up, ready to burst. Seeing this, Uncle took the bag and camera. He held her hand and guided her back to the car.
He understood what she was going through. They remained silent.
They arrived near the orphanage. He stopped the car a few meters before the gate and gave her the bag and camera. He told her to rest and not to overthink. Everything would become normal, and she should take care of everyone. He knew his words wouldn't comfort her.
She entered the home. Every step felt heavy. She went to the hall and sat down. She stared at the bag. A few minutes passed. She opened it, and the first thing she saw was Haruto's diary.