Viw: Whispers and the Beautiful Challenge

Season 1 – The First Whisper

Episode 12: The Name of Viw

The morning after the exhibition.
Contracts signed, a stack of business cards—clear proof of success.
And yet, what filled Naomi’s chest was not numbers, but the echo of applause.
The voice that had said, “This is real.”

Naomi lifted her phone.
She typed a message to Takano Kodama.

“Yesterday’s exhibition was a great success.
I’m so happy.
Thank you.”

She pressed send.
In her mind, his figure surfaced—the sensation of his hands during the treatment in Kyoto, the quiet warmth.
It flowed into the memory of the cream.
Since she had begun using it, her skin had changed.
It was more than skincare. It had become her anchor.

(I have to tell him.)

Her fingers moved again.

“And that cream… it’s incredible.
Every day it lifts me. My skin feels alive again.”

Moments later, his reply appeared.

“I’m glad to hear the Viw Cream is working.”

“Viw… Cream?”

Naomi froze.
So the cream had a name.
The same word that had haunted her since that first, strange message.

She typed back quickly:

“Once, I received a strange message. It also said ‘Viw’.”

Seconds later, her phone rang.
Takano’s voice flowed through the speaker.

“Oh, so you were one of the few. That is a surprise.”

He explained:

“It was sent out by our group of Kewaishi—we call ourselves KY4.
But the samples were so limited we could only reach a handful of people.
You must have been one of them.”

Naomi fell silent.

Listen to the whisper of Viw.
Beauty lies within you.

The mysterious words—his hand had been behind them.

“Viw,” he continued, “comes from viwa—loquat.
It is the name of a spirit.
The loquat carries many spirits that awaken the skin.”

His tone was calm, unwavering.
The boundary between science and myth dissolved in his words.

“Viw is the voice of life.
It brings back the voice that already resides in the skin.
That is why it is not merely a cream.”

Even after the call ended, the words lingered.
The voice of life.
Yes—the very thing she had felt every time she touched the jar.

At the sink, Naomi opened the lid.
Sandalwood drifted softly into the air.
She touched a small amount to her cheek.
Cool at first, then warm, sinking deep.

Day by day, she felt the change.
Her skin tightened, her outline sharpened.
But it was more than the surface.
Each time, she felt protected.

A smile spread in the mirror.

“This cream… it’s extraordinary.”

It had become a quiet part of her life.

Back in the living room, Kenichi sat on the sofa.

“Feeling better?”

“Yes, little by little.”

He studied her face, eyes narrowing.

“Strange. You’ve been so busy… but your skin looks younger.”

The words startled her. Warmth rose in her chest.

(Even from outside, it shows…)

It confirmed what she already knew.

Laughter spilled from the children’s room.
Naomi sat beside Kenichi, smiling softly.

(This is happiness. What more could I need?)

And yet—
beneath the joy stirred a quiet unease.
She could not name it.
Only that something vast, hidden, pulsed there.
As much awe as fear.

She looked out the window.
The silver moon hung full above the city.
Its light deepened the tremor in her chest.