Viw: Whispers and the Beautiful Challenge

Season 1 — The First Whisper

Episode 13: The Beautiful Challenge

Weeks passed since the exhibition.
The heat had faded.
Routine flowed back into the company.
The special project was dissolved; members scattered to their own divisions.
The fatigue once etched in faces had vanished, replaced by a quiet pride in their eyes.

Every morning, Naomi’s inbox filled with messages from attendees.

“I can’t forget that single drop.”
“It felt like nature and science had joined hands.”

Lines still trembling with heat.
Each one warmed her chest more than numbers ever could.

At the window of the conference room, a poster leaned against the wall.
Leaves of silver, light passing through—
the same poster from the exhibition.
Even now, the silence of that image caught her breath.
The stillness staged in noise—Naomi remembered its power best of all.

On the development floor, new routines had begun.

“Chief.
I look forward to working with you.”

Yusuke bowed lightly.
By his own insistence—and Naomi’s word—he had transferred from sales to brand development.
On his new desk, market reports and design sketches piled.
He held a sample label, corners slightly bent, smiling awkwardly.
But his eyes—straight, expectant.

Later, as a meeting wrapped, Yusuke asked suddenly:

“By the way…
I heard you never touch skincare.
Why is that?”

The question caught in her throat.

He pressed on.

“Our company handles plenty of skincare.
Honestly… I think you’re the perfect fit.”

Naomi looked at him, surprised.
The directness of someone younger.
Its honesty seeped deep into her chest.

“And skincare… more than any other product, design carries weight.
The package, the world of the brand.
I always thought that part looked fun.
Back in school, I even dreamed of being a designer.”

He glanced at the clock.
“The data run should be finished. I’ll check.”

And with that, he returned to his desk.

＊

(Skincare.
The field I’ve always avoided.)

A thorn shifted in her chest.

Skincare—
too close to herself.

That was why she stayed away.

To reach for it felt like being confronted.
Not knowledge.
Not skill.

But the self—laid bare.

＊

That evening, Naomi handed her post-exhibition report to Hiraki.
His reply was brief:

“Well done. Now comes continuity.
Turn points into lines.”

She bowed, closed the door, and exhaled deeply.

＊

Night.
Children asleep, the house silent.
Naomi stood at the sink, twisted open the jar of Viw Cream.

Sandalwood rose, soft, loosening her nerves.
She took a trace, touched it to her cheek.
It melted with her warmth, sinking into her skin.

(This moment has saved me again and again.)

The face in the mirror—so different from before.

“This cream… it’s carried me.
My skin. My heart.”

Her whisper was barely audible.

Elasticity, contours—all real.
But more than that, her mind calmed.
Breath grew deep.

(This isn’t just skincare.
It’s becoming a place I return to.)

Its name—Viw. The voice of life.
Like a whisper at her ear, resonating ever since that first day.

She sank onto the sofa.
Through the curtain gap, the moon shone—full.
One month since.
Unchanging cycles of nature had held her all along.
Gratitude welled in her chest.

Then—the phone vibrated.
On the screen: Takano Kodama.

“Naomi-san, congratulations on the project.
I have a request.
Would you help build the brand of Viw?”

Her heart swayed.

Viw—now part of her daily life.
To shape its brand with her own hands—
a new challenge, and an unavoidable decision.

(Me? To build Viw?)

Her pulse knocked quietly inside her chest.

She stood before the mirror, lifted the jar.
This cream—her confidence, her support.

What would I be without it?

It had restored her light.
And yet—another truth rose:
not dependency on Viw, but feelings stirring for Takano himself.

His kindness. His mystery. His presence.
She was drawn.

But in her family’s steady life, where could those feelings rest?

The offer trembled in her hands.
Could she guard her life—and face this new challenge?

And what was swelling in her chest—
respect, admiration, something unnamed?

She could only look at it, quietly.

In the kitchen, a leftover bottle of mineral water.
Children’s drawings pinned to the fridge.
A mock-up poster leaning at its side.

Naomi lifted her phone, drew a breath.
Her fingers shook.

Skincare—too close, too exposing.
But the thrill and fear mingled—like shivers.

Takano.
Just the name made her chest stir.
Unnamed, but present.

One phrase rose from within, beyond all thought.

—The Beautiful Challenge—

Feeling the door to a new future opening, Naomi typed her reply:

“I’d be honored. ☺️”

With that, she stepped toward the next stage.

＊

Morning.
The floor lit earlier than usual.
On her desk, a fresh notebook.
On the first page, one heading:

—viw / Brand Notes—

A line beneath.
On the next: the words again—

The Beautiful Challenge.

The pen’s scratch felt like a beginning.

Down the hall, Yusuke’s light steps approached.

“Good morning, Chief.”

“Good morning.
From today—we begin.”

She raised her face and smiled.

Like a moon not yet full, it didn’t matter if she wasn’t complete.
What mattered was moving forward.
Supported by what endures—
toward a new light.

＊

End of Season 1.
To be continued in Season 2…

Author｜Yusui

Illustrations｜Created with Midjourney AI (Art direction by Beauty Saga Studio)
Production & Editing｜Beauty Saga Studio
Publisher & Operations｜Reason Lab Inc.
Special Thanks｜LBH Corp.
With their technical cooperation in raw material and bulk manufacturing, this story gained its “tactility” and “scent.”

© 2025 Beauty Saga Studio / Reason Lab Inc. All rights reserved.
When story gives birth to reality. — Beauty Saga Studio

*The products that appear in this saga are composed based on the actual development background and the permission of the manufacturing and sales business.