Chapter 23 : The creative meeting

~Before Yui and Emiko encounter.

Yui Asano sat at the long conference table, tapping her pen against her notebook as the team gathered around. The air smelled faintly of coffee and paper, a mix she had come to associate with both stress and excitement.“Alright,” said Ryota Suda, the creative director, leaning back in his chair. “We have a summer launch coming up, and our job is to make sure the story of this perfume reaches every corner—online, in print, everywhere. Let’s make it memorable.”Ayase, the lead designer, flipped her laptop around to show a series of mockups. “Here’s the concept for the packaging. Light tone and dark colors, minimalistic, elegant. I’ve tried to capture the ‘breath into what's real’ vibe I mentioned in my brief.”Emiko nodded, taking notes. “It’s beautiful, but I want to make sure the design also tells a story. People should feel the scent before they even open the box.”Mr Suda smiled. “Exactly. That’s where storytelling comes in. We’ll need visuals, social media content, and even micro-stories.”At the far end of the table, Tora Mifuyu, the community manager, raised a hand. “That’s where I come in. So far I’ve been mapping out a week-by-week rollout plan. Teasers, behind-the-scenes clips, actors collaborations… I think we can now schedule stories to drop at peak times, create polls, even a mini countdown for the launch.”Ayase tilted her head. “Do we want the packaging to appear in every post, or just subtly in the background?”Mr Mifuyu leaned forward, fingers interlaced. “A mix works best. The visuals should be organic—people respond to stories, not just products. We want them to see the emotion behind the scent.”Mrs Asano felt a small smile tug at her lips. “I like that. The perfume is personal, intimate. I don’t want it to feel like just another product.”Mr Suda nodded. “Agreed. That’s why we’ll shoot lifestyle images—people enjoying the scent, moments of summer, laughter, quiet mornings. And Mr Mifuyu, you’ll adapt them for each platform?”“Exactly,” Tora said confidently. “we can even do a carousel on the website with swipeable stories. Engagement will be key.”Yui took a deep breath, looking around the room at the team. Everyone seemed to understand not just the product, but the emotion she wanted to convey.“And for the actors?” she asked.Tora tapped his laptop. “we're still going to work with Ren Fujimoto, Aki Hayama, and Miyuki Tachibana . They resonate with the brand vibe—authentic, approachable, with strong engagement, but we can also considerate influencers later.

They already got samples and performed photoshoot alone, but not in group.”Tora leaned back. “Alright, perfect. Let’s make this campaign feel like a story people want to be part of, not just a fragrance they buy.”Yui felt a spark of excitement. This was it—the bridge between her vision and the world. A perfume wasn’t just scent; it was an experience, and together, this team could make it unforgettable.She glanced at her watch. The meeting was running longer than expected, but she didn’t mind. Each idea brought them closer to launching something that mattered.Little did she know, today’s carefully planned discussion would soon be interrupted in the most unexpected way—the arrival of someone from her past, someone she hadn’t seen in years.

End of chapter 23