The announcement came during what was supposed to be a routine family dinner at the Varela household. Isabella had been sharing updates about her latest projects when Javier set down his fork and looked at her with the kind of focused attention that had become his signature since awakening from the coma.
"Isabella, I need to ask you something," he said, his voice carrying the quiet intensity that made everyone in the room pause their conversations.
"Of course. What is it?"
"I want you to teach me advanced hairstyling techniques. Not just the basic skills you showed me for humanitarian work, but professional-level expertise."
The request caught Isabella completely off guard. Their parents, who had been discussing business matters at the other end of the table, turned to listen with obvious curiosity.
"Javier, why would you want to learn professional hairstyling? You're focused on cycling recovery and your university studies."
"Because," Javier said, his eyes never leaving his sister's face, "I think it might be the key to finding her. If Aiko became a hairstylist because of what I showed her that day, then entering her professional world might be the most direct way to reach her."
Isabella felt her stomach clench. She knew exactly where Aiko was, had been carrying that secret for months while watching her brother build his entire recovery around finding the girl who was currently living peacefully in Japan with another man.
"That's... that's a very indirect approach," she managed. "Learning professional hairstyling takes years of training."
"Then I'll learn faster than anyone has before," Javier replied with the calm certainty that had characterized all his impossible goals since awakening. "You taught me basics when I was younger. You know I have steady hands and attention to detail. What I need now is advanced technique and industry knowledge."
Their father, Eduardo Varela, leaned forward with interest. "Son, are you talking about abandoning cycling to become a hairstylist?"
"Not abandoning. Expanding." Javier turned to address his father directly. "The Varela Foundation supports young people in developing skills that help their communities. What if we created a program that combined athletic training with beauty industry education? Sports and styling as complementary forms of helping people feel confident and strong?"
Eduardo's expression shifted from confusion to intrigue. The Varela family had built their reputation on innovative humanitarian programs, and Javier's proposal had the kind of unique vision that had always characterized their most successful initiatives.
"You're serious about this," Isabella said, studying her brother's face.
"Completely serious. I need to understand her world from the inside. I need to be worthy of delivering Emiko's message not just as someone who helped her once, but as someone who shares her passion and dedication to the craft."
"Javier," Isabella said carefully, "professional hairstyling isn't something you learn casually. It requires artistic vision, years of practice, understanding of chemistry and technique that goes far beyond basic grooming."
"Then teach me," he said simply. "Or help me find the best masters in Spain who can. I have time, resources, and more motivation than any student you've ever worked with."
Isabella found herself cornered by her brother's logic and her own professional knowledge. Javier had always been extraordinarily focused when he committed to something, and his recovery had demonstrated that his determination could overcome seemingly impossible physical challenges.
"If I agreed to help you," she said slowly, "it would have to be intensive. Real professional training, not just expanded basics. You'd need to master color theory, advanced cutting techniques, client consultation, business management—everything required to work in high-end salons."
"I'm ready for that level of commitment."
"And you'd need to understand that this isn't just about finding one person. If you're going to enter the beauty industry, you need to respect the craft for its own sake, not just as a means to an end."
Javier leaned forward, his expression growing more intense. "Isabella, I've spent four months researching international hairstyling programs and competitions. I've watched hundreds of videos of master stylists working. This isn't just strategy for me anymore—I'm genuinely fascinated by the artistry, by how transformation of appearance can change someone's entire sense of self."
"That's... actually the right mindset for serious study," Isabella admitted, surprised by the depth of his interest.
"There's something else," Javier continued. "I want to do this publicly. Document my training, share my progress, show people that athletic discipline can be applied to artistic pursuits. The platform I've built could inspire others to explore beauty work, especially young men who might not have considered it."
The proposal was ambitious beyond anything Isabella had expected. Her brother wasn't just asking to learn hairstyling—he was proposing to use his massive social media following to challenge gender stereotypes and promote the artistic legitimacy of beauty work.
"You realize," she said thoughtfully, "that if you're serious about this, you could eventually compete in professional hairstyling competitions. The international circuit includes events that could put you in contact with stylists from around the world."
"Including Japan?"
"Including Japan. There's a major international competition every four years that draws the most talented stylists from every continent. If you developed professional-level skills, you could potentially qualify."
Javier's eyes lit up with a fire that made Isabella's heart race. This wasn't just about finding Aiko anymore—this was about entering her world completely, meeting her as an equal in the field she loved rather than just as someone from her past.
"When is the next international competition?" he asked.
"Next year. But Javier, qualifying would require not just skill but industry recognition, competition victories, a portfolio of professional work—"
"Then I'll achieve all of that," he interrupted with quiet conviction. "Isabella, will you help me? Will you teach me everything you know and help me find the best additional training available?"
Isabella looked at her brother's face, seeing the same determination that had driven his cycling career and his recovery from the accident. But now it was focused on something that could actually bring him into contact with the girl he'd been searching for.
"Yes," she said finally. "I'll help you. But Javier, you need to understand that this journey might change you in ways you don't expect. Serious artistic training affects how you see the world, how you relate to people, how you express yourself."
"Good," Javier replied. "I want to be changed. I want to become someone worthy of the world she's chosen to live in."
As dinner ended and they began planning his intensive training program, Isabella felt both excitement and apprehension about what she was helping set in motion. If Javier truly developed professional-level skills, if he qualified for international competition, he would inevitably encounter Aiko's name in beauty industry networks.
The search that had driven him for months was about to become a systematic entry into her professional world. And when that happened, the reunion neither of them was fully prepared for would become not just possible, but inevitable.