Viw: Whispers and the Beautiful Challenge

Season 1 – The First Whisper

Episode 10: The Night Before

The night before the exhibition, the office lights refused to go dark.
In the lab, white coats stood in quiet rows—pipetting fermented liquid into dropper vials, folding inserts without a word.
In the design room, only the keystrokes that fixed the slides and the soft scrape of fingers laying labels were heard.

Naomi took it all in, one frame at a time.

(I want to stay with them.)

She did.
But a leader’s work isn’t always at the front line.
Her final duty was to stand at the venue in the morning with a steady face.

Near midnight, she bowed lightly to the team and left the building.

Streetlights sliding past the taxi window.
Red and green signals, the rhythm of a sleepless city.
Convenience-store lights, square and unwavering.

All of it pushed her toward a single point called tomorrow.

＊

The front door unlocked into silence.
The low hum of the refrigerator.
The second hand of the wall clock.
No one awake—the quiet pressed even harder on her chest.

She set her bag on the living room table and took out the documents.

(From the beginning, one more time.)

She reached for a pen—when the phone vibrated.

A notification:

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

In the chaos of recent days, she’d barely glanced at the app.
But now, the words struck true.

“Listen to the whisper…”

Maybe that was what she needed. Now.

The phone buzzed again.

“…Again?”

Irritated, she looked down—Yuuko’s LINE.

—Naomi, are you okay?
It’s tomorrow, right?

Naomi blinked.
Warmth opened in her chest.
Before she could think, she hit “Call.”

“…Hello?”

“Naomi! I didn’t think you’d pick up this late.
I thought you’d be asleep.”

“As if I could sleep.”

They both laughed—at the same time.

“Are you really okay?
You went to Kyoto, then nothing… no updates.”

“Sorry.
It’s been nonstop.
We fermented in Takano’s lab; Yusuke drove to pick it up—
and the numbers finally came.
They were incredible.”

“…Good.”

Yuuko’s exhale softened through the line.

Naomi felt something uncoil inside.
The fear she couldn’t voice in front of the team—
she could say to her friend.

“But I’m scared.
If we fail tomorrow…
We’ve already lost twice.
I can’t shake the image of that black shroud over their booth.”

“Naomi.”
Yuuko’s voice was steady.

“You’ve gotten up again and again.
That’s who you are.
So tomorrow—stand as yourself. That’s enough.”

Heat welled in Naomi’s chest.

“Thank you.
Hearing your voice helps.”

“I’ll be there tomorrow.
Win.”

“I will.
Watch me.”

The call ended.
Silence settled again—
but it felt different now.
A small, certain light was lit inside her.

She drew a deep breath and reached for the jar.
The lid turned; sandalwood rose softly.
She touched a little to her cheek—
cool at first, then smoothing warm as it met her skin.

The waves of fear ebbed.

Behind her eyelids, she felt Takano standing.
No voice—just the certainty of presence.

—You’ll be fine.

A whisper seemed to brush her ear.
She turned—

It wasn’t Kodama Takano standing there.
It was Kenichi.

“Naomi?
It’s late. You okay?”

Her chest stirred at the misalignment.
Reality’s voice overlapping the one she had imagined.

“Yeah… I’m okay.
I’m just nervous—tomorrow’s the presentation.
But I’m okay now.”

She smiled, but didn’t meet his eyes.
Kenichi slid an arm to her shoulder.
She was grateful—
and still, the storm inside did not stop.

She couldn’t sleep.
Only the clock hands filling the room with their quiet progress.
When she closed her eyes—
the rival’s black shroud, past defeats, tomorrow’s fear—
they crowded in.

At last, the window bled a pale red.
Naomi slipped from bed and stepped onto the terrace.
Cold air touched her cheeks.
The east brightened, slow and certain.
Leaves in the street trees shivered in the wind.
A far-off convenience-store light lingered like a star.

While the world slept, the sky alone announced a new day.

“Everything is decided today.”

Her nails bit her palm.
The sting cut through doubt.

Dawn came in with the afterglow of the full moon.
The morning air cooled her face—steadier now.

She had made up her mind.
Everything—on the line.