The three friends stopped by the view of the vast sea from Kyoto. Yushiro immediately noticed the beautiful scenery and got closer to it. He leaned against the railings while other people stopped in their tracks and gathered beside him to get a closer look at the crystal blue water and bright sky with seagulls flying by the area.
"Douma, thanks for taking us to that restaurant." Shinobu looked at him with a smile, however she also seemed a little timid. Douma didn't want her to feel intimidated by his kindness, she has always wanted to experience one of Kyoto's most significant experiences that it had to offer. About time she got what she wanted.
"No problem Shinobu I'm glad you're having a great time." Douma replied reassuringly, he could tell Shinobu was starting to brighten up from his cheerful response.
They stood beside Yushiro who was gazing upon the lavish view of the sea and the ships passing by. The sound of the ships' horn sent more flocks of birds into the sky, it wasn't that loud so it didn't come off as distracting to people.
"This reminds me of the time when that huge ship scared us while we were taking a class picture." Yushiro said still looking at the view. "Man that was funny. It was super loud I could've sworn someone was about to piss their pants!"
"Yushiro you've been here before?" Douma asked.
"Yeah it was a school trip." Shinobu replied while Yushiro nodded.
It's a good thing humans still have something to appreciate out there, like this view. Douma watched the waves of the clear sea and the ships moving to the dock nearby.
At some point, Douma wondered what would happen if some of these landscapes didn't exist anymore. Where would humans turn to when they needed to let go of their stress and problems? These were a few major causes of ongoing problems in society that often led to people feeling isolated or helpless because of the lack of support from others. Embracing life's offers was one way for them to seek comfort in this world.
A girl with red hair and emerald green eyes stood beside Yushiro and watched the view. She smiled after seeing the bright rays of the sun in the sky.
"Shall we get going? Doctor Gareth isn't the kind who sticks at one place ya know." Yushiro said to his two friends.
"Hmmm perhaps we could test that theory with some telekinesis-"
"Don't you dare! If anything happens to Doctor Gareth it's your fault!" Shinobu scolded Douma who raised his hands in panic from her stern warning.
The red-haired girl beside Yushiro gripped her sling bag tightly. Confused by her strange reaction, Yushiro glanced at her, only to see the girl now gritting her teeth and hiding the grief-stricken expression under her locks.
"You guys- know Doctor Gareth?" She stammered her hand that was still holding onto her bag was trembling now.
"Not really but we've heard of him. Do you by any chance know the guy-"
"He's my father!" The girl blurted out with a look of despair on her face. Yushiro was taken aback by that sudden outburst.
The other two looked at her in shock.
"Ever since my father vanished from society our family struggled with this awful reputation from the result of his careless actions. Doctor Gareth felt I was better off without him in my life, and that was an actual fact. I don't intend on coming back to him, he has done nothing but ruin the family. If only he had owned up to his mistakes, I hate it when he tells me his problems are nothing to worry about." The girl looked away in anger at the thought of mentioning her father which left a bitter taste in her mouth. Regardless, nobody would understand the pain of witnessing a loved one fall into a hopeless pit of despair.
Yushiro tilted his head at her statement. "You seem really mad at him."
"Of course I am! He ruined my life and I'll never forgive him for that!"
"We need to see him, it's important. If you can take us to his place, that would be really helpful." Douma stated while Shinobu and Yushiro waited anxiously for the girl's response.
"It's about his unfinished business with Atlas and the law isn't it? Well sorry but I have no interest in any of his troubles nor do I want to have anything to do with him."
"I don't think you seem to understand the repercussion of your ignorance. This is not about the family terms that you've set for yourself, it's about the aftermath of your father's own irresponsibility and I'm sure you're very much aware of what he's done." Yushiro watched the girl curse herself under her breath. He could tell she was at the verge of yelling at him for responding so harshly but this was the only way to get their point across. There was no time to be thickheaded especially when other parties were involved.
However the girl gained her cool and answered him in the most subtle way possible.
"Look if you want to carry out your detective work, then you should take note that when it comes to Doctor Gareth's family, we're out of the picture, so pestering me isn't going to do you any good so get going, find someone else since I'm wasting your precious time."
Douma narrowed his eyes at the girl. She dared to treat this case as something petty just because it had nothing to do with her. Which was a lie, since she still knew about Doctor Gareth's current state, going as much as to avoid him at all costs, she most likely had all the answers about her father's work that Atlas was looking for. This attempt at hiding the last bit of evidence was unacceptable.
"And let the blood of innocent people continue spilling on his hands?!" Shinobu raised her voice at the girl which made her frightened. "There are still patients at the hospital who are currently fighting the disease from Doctor Gareth's lab specimens. If you keep this up their suffering will continue and you're going to be liable for it."
Pausing in her tracks, the girl spun around and clenched her fist in anger. "Don't bring me into this. I never wanted this to happen, I've tried my best to convince my father to correct his ways but he just wouldn't listen. What else do you guys expect me to do here? I did all I can to prevent this from happening but it still did."
Which means you still care about the wellbeing of your father and the people who suffered from this. Instead of running away you can make an impact now by helping us reach out to your father. He doesn't need to isolate himself anymore, it's over he just needs to own up to his mistakes. Douma was about to say something when Yushiro stepped up.
"You just admitted that you wanted to see a change from your own initiatives. What if you can make it happen by using this chance given to you to speak with your father again with some support? We know it's not easy but if we work together on this we can put an end to these underlying problems that even your family has been put through for so long."
"It's gotten Atlas and a few other organizations involved too. This will only continue to spiral out of control unless we step up our game here, hide and seek isn't the way to go he's too good at that." Douma added.
"Fine, I'll help." The girl responded. "But just this once. Don't get me involved in any of my father's troubles ever again."
"This will definitely be the last." Yushiro said, both Douma and Shinobu agreed.
"Alright then. I'm Ruby by the way."
"Yushiro and these are my friends, Douma and Shinobu."
"I'll take you guys to my father's place." Ruby took off while the others followed her to Kyoto's distinct towns.