Viw: Whispers and the Beautiful Challenge

Season 1 – The First Whisper

Episode 5: Opening the Door to Renewal

Morning light spilled through the window of the executive office—cold, pale, unforgiving.
On the wall, the schedule chart read in red: “9 days until exhibition.”

At the long table sat Shingo Hiraki, Naomi, and Yusuke.
No one else had arrived yet.
Only those cornered to the edge gathered in this quiet meeting.

Hiraki spoke, his voice low.

“If we stay on this course, it’s checkmate.
But we can’t afford to stop.”

He rearranged the papers before him.

“There are four pillars of action.

First—review every piece of accumulated data, every abandoned project.
There may be something we can salvage.”

Naomi nodded, pen moving across the page.
To rely on “the past” was bitter as lead.
But she had no room for pride.

“Second—contact partners, collaborators.
Look for any unpublished plans.
If there’s something we can turn around instantly, even consider a buyout.”

Yusuke’s face stiffened.

(The time, the cost… impossible. And yet… we have to try.)

Naomi caught his look, gave the smallest nod.

“Third—verify that the rival’s ingredient is truly the same as ours.
Don’t move on speculation.”

Yusuke answered at once.
“I’ll recheck the server logs.”

The air tightened slightly.

“Fourth—if it is the same, find what only we can express.
We need a point of difference. That is non-negotiable.”

Silence weighed after his words.
Then Hiraki leaned back in his chair.

“…That’s all.”

He turned to Yusuke.
“Kitagawa. Deliver this to the whole team.
And report to Natsume twice a day, without fail.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yusuke straightened his back.

Naomi closed her notebook.
Every arrow pointed toward her.
There was no running.

The meeting yielded no new tactics—
only the fragile flame of we must move.

＊

At the corner of the stone-paved street, the yellow wall and green shutters appeared.
Caffè Serenità.

She pushed the door open.
The scent of dark roast wrapped around her chest.

Sunlight streamed across the tables, too bright, too sharp.
Music, laughter, the aroma of beans—
all of it gentle.
So gentle it only deepened her darkness.
It felt like being left behind in a world of light.

Yuuko waved from by the window.
Her smile carried a faint shadow of worry.

Naomi sat across, cradling her cup in both hands.

“Your face… you look awful,” Yuuko murmured.

“…It feels like everything’s meaningless now.
The promotion, the exhibition prep.
Without the product, I don’t know what to believe in anymore.”

They both stared into their cups.
A droplet slid down the rim, marking the table.
A car passed faintly outside.

Words wouldn’t come.
Silence itself seemed to pass between them—something unseen, brushing their skin.

(The leak… is that what this is?)

“…Could it be—”

Naomi whispered.
Yuuko echoed the same words at the same moment.

Their voices overlapped.
Their eyes met.
Doubt flashed—then both shook their heads quickly.

“No… impossible.”
“Right…”

The air sank heavier.
Yuuko forced her voice brighter.

“But Naomi—you can’t give in! You have to stand strong.”

Naomi tried to smile. It bent, never reaching her eyes.

“…But what do I hold on to, in this state?”

Yuuko’s gaze was steady. She cupped her coffee firmly.

“There is someone.
A man in Kyoto… a Kewaishi.
His name is Kodama Takano.

I met him once.
He isn’t just a beauty expert.
He restores people—here.”

(Yuuko, what are you saying?)

“You think beauty can change this?”

“Whether it can or not—you won’t know unless you go.
What you need right now… is a spark to move.”

Naomi turned to the window.
High in the daylight sky, a faint full moon lingered.
Its round edge blurred against the blue.

(A full moon…)

Something stirred in her chest—an old memory, faint, reaching.
Could it become light for this darkness?
She couldn’t yet tell.

＊

That night, silence filled the house.
Children asleep.
The clock’s second hand ticking in the living room.

Naomi sat on the sofa, staring out the window.

(No… beauty can’t change this…)

Her reason said so.

Yet another voice rose: If you don’t move, everything collapses.
And Yuuko—she wouldn’t have spoken so strongly without cause.
Her instincts were often sharp.

From the bedroom, Kenichi stirred in his sleep.
His kindness would break her if she leaned on it.
Only solitude and responsibility bound her now.

Beyond the city’s glow, the moon floated again.
Dimmed by the lights, yet still there.

Naomi whispered softly—

“I’ll go…”