Viw: Whispers and the Beautiful Challenge

Season 1 – The First Whisper

Episode 6: The Kewaishi of Kyoto

From the window of the Shinkansen, the ridges of mountains drew steadily closer.
Morning light was still gentle. A veil of white mist drifted over the river.
The frantic breath of the city faded, replaced by something slower—calmer.

Naomi leaned back into her seat.
In her chest, a single name echoed again and again:

—Kodama Takano.

(Will meeting him truly change anything?)

Doubt refused to leave her.
But the urgency pressing on her back was stronger.
If she didn’t move, everything would end.

＊

At Kyoto Station, damp air brushed her skin.
It carried a denser green than Tokyo, loosening something tight inside her.

Down a narrow lane, townhouses stood in quiet rows.
Stones glistened with morning dew.
Light slanted through wooden lattices.
Birdsong drifted from somewhere unseen, overlapped by the slow toll of a temple bell.

Her steps faltered as a faint scent touched her nose—
sandalwood.

Naomi froze.

The lattice shadows. The droplets sliding from the eaves. The dim passage stretching inward—

(I know this place… but how?)

Her breath caught. Her heart hammered. Sweat pricked her palms.

She pushed the wooden gate open. Silence unfolded.
In the corner of the garden, a round stone lantern shimmered with morning light, glowing like a full moon.
The sight sent a chill down her spine.

“You must be Naomi-san. Yuuko told me about you.”

The voice came from within.

From the shadow, a man emerged—dressed in black.

Silver-white hair flowed to his shoulders, catching the light behind the paper screen.
His eyes cut sharp, as if they pierced through to the depths—yet warmth lingered there too.
His body carried strength, not by bulk but by honed resilience.
Simply standing, he filled the air with quiet command.

“…Takano-san.”

The name trembled from her lips, déjà vu crashing through her chest.
Reality or vision—she couldn’t tell.

He bowed lightly, motioning her inside.
“Please. Welcome.”

＊

The treatment room held the scent of sandalwood.
Soft light filtered through shoji screens, shadows falling across polished wood.
At the center stood something startling—
a futuristic treatment bed set within a traditional tatami room.

And yet, the fragrance calmed her heart.

“Let me touch you for a moment.”

His hand reached gently.
When his fingertips brushed her cheek, a light pierced through her chest.

His hand was warm, impossibly soft.
Not merely grazing the skin—
but reading deeper.

Her heartbeat. Her shallow breath.
Even the shadow in her spirit.

Sound receded. Light quivered.
The scent of sandalwood sank deeper.
The hardness inside her dissolved soundlessly.
Her breath trembled. Her vision blurred.

“Naomi-san, you are very tired.
Both your skin and your body are near their limit.”

It was neither scolding nor comfort.
Simply truth.
And the truth pierced her.

Tears traced down her cheek.

(I… never realized how exhausted I was…)

＊

At last his hand lifted.
Naomi pressed a palm to her chest, steadying her breath.
A strange lightness spread within.

Takano turned to the shelves and returned with a small bundle.
Inside—an aluminum bottle with fine powder sealed in a pouch,
and a glass jar with a special cream.

“This powder… interesting stuff. It can be used as a supplement ingredient.”

He handed it to her briefly.
Then lifted the jar, smiling softly.

“And this cream—it’s special.
Please, try it.”

His warmth pressed against her hesitation. She accepted it, wordless.
She opened her mouth to thank him—but no words came.

Before she could find them, Takano had already turned, walking away.

His back was straight, quiet, unshakable.
A presence of stillness—yet human warmth too.

“…I want to see him again.”

The words slipped out without thought.

As she stepped into the garden, the sky above stretched pure and blue.
The scent of sandalwood lingered on the breeze.
Her steps across the stone pavement felt lighter than when she arrived.