My daily life with the original diva

"Hehe, not bad, right? I'm so glad you like it, Hiro-kun. So, to celebrate finding such a delicious restaurant, let's have another drink. With fish and sake, it's such a wonderful way to end get off work." Nakamori Akina was pleased to receive Hiro Kimura's praise, but she took the opportunity to ask for another drink.

How could he not know what Nakamori Akina was thinking? He usually kept a close eye on her, but sometimes he had to let her have her way. Kimura Hiroshi raised his glass of wine, which hadn't been touched much, and said, "Cheers, but don't drink too much, or I'm afraid you'll fall asleep in the movie theater later, which wouldn't be good."

"How could that be? I'm a man who can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, Hiro-kun! Cheers! I promise I won't fall asleep." After clinking glasses with Hiro Kimura, Akina Nakamori downed another cup.

Chapter 482 You actually fell asleep while watching my movie

Despite saying she could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, Nakamori Akina's face started to turn pale after just a few drinks. Unlike most people whose faces turn red when they drink too much, Nakamori Akina's face turned pale when she drank too much. If she drank too much, her face would turn bluish-white. So, after her face turned pale, Kimura Hiroshi immediately tried to put the bottle away.

He had been doing that before, so Nakamori Akina was already on guard. When Kimura Hiro reached out, she snatched the bottle from her hand, poured herself a full glass, and said smugly, "Hehe, Hiro-kun, you want to put the bottle away again? No way! I'm going to have a couple more drinks today. I'm in a good mood today, so please let me have a couple more drinks."

After saying that, seemingly afraid that Kimura Hiroshi would stop him, he drank the full glass of wine in one gulp, and then poured himself another glass. He really looked like a complete drunkard.

However, since Nakamori Akina was finally able to have a couple more drinks, Kimura Hiroshi didn't stop her, and said with a smile, "Go ahead and drink, no one's going to take it from you. But if you fall asleep in the movie theater later, I'll punish you, at the very least I'll spank you."

"Ugh, Hiro-kun is so naughty." Nakamori Akina, who was drinking her sake with great satisfaction, had only taken half a sip when she heard Kimura Hiro's words and almost choked. Her boyfriend was good in every way, but he was a little naughty and always thought of some strange things.

"You brought this on yourself, so don't blame me." Kimura Hiroshi looked smug.

So Nakamori Akina quickly stopped drinking, finished the saury and other dishes in front of her, and then said, "Let's go see a movie, Hiro-kun. There's one at 8 pm. I've already checked the time. If we go late, we'll have to watch it very late, and then it will be too late to get back to Tokyo."

She was actually afraid that if the time dragged on too late, she wouldn't be able to stay awake and would fall asleep, and then she would get a spanking. She was very good at sleeping. Not to mention in the movie theater, if she was tired, she could find a chance to catch up on sleep even when there were many people backstage at the program. But today she felt a little tired, and she didn't know if it was because of the alcohol or because she was very tired from being busy these days.

Seeing that it was almost time and they had finished eating, Kimura Hiroshi had no intention of delaying any longer. He had work to do tomorrow and couldn't go back too late, so he put down his chopsticks and replied, "Okay, let's hurry over then. The screening is about to start, and hopefully we can still get tickets."

The two got up, said goodbye to Aunt Hanako, and praised the saury she had cooked. Then they headed straight for the movie theater. However, when they arrived at the nearby movie theater, they found that it was packed with people, many of whom were young couples who had come after get off work.

"I heard it's an action movie starring Kimura Takuya, and she's playing an assassin. Ah, the middle-aged assassin in 'Léon: The Professional' was so handsome, so he'll definitely be just as handsome playing an assassin again."

"Yes, yes, I've seen the trailer. Kimura-chan's portrayal of the assassin is very cool. I don't like watching romance movies; I prefer action movies like this. These kinds of movies are more exciting and make people want to watch them more."

The young people were waiting for the movie to start, but since the previous audience members hadn't come out of the theater yet, they could only wait in the lobby and chat.

As Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina entered the movie theater, they could naturally hear what they were saying. Nakamori Akina felt pleased to hear their praise of Kimura Hiroshi and said to him, "Hiroshi-kun is very popular. It's not just girls; I think young boys like him a lot too."

"Really? I didn't hear that. Hello, ticket seller, do you still have tickets for the 8 o'clock showing of 'The Fast and the Furious'?" Kimura Hiroshi asked the ticket seller while answering Nakamori Akina's question.

Shaking his head, the young ticket seller said, "The 8 o'clock show is sold out, sir. If you can wait, you can watch the 10 o'clock show. There are three tickets left. Would you like them?"

Clearly, this second action film starring Hiroshi Kimura is quite popular, especially since its promotional slogan was "Hollywood action blockbuster." Combined with his fame in Japan, this attracted a large audience. For those who came at the last minute, getting tickets was almost impossible.

"Oh, I see. In that case, we won't need to." If they watch it at 10 o'clock, they might stay up until after midnight. If they go back to Tokyo, it might be 1 or 2 a.m. Kimura Hiroshi wouldn't keep Nakamori Akina up that late. He wants to give her as much rest time as possible.

After leaving the ticket counter, Kimura Hiroshi asked Nakamori Akina beside him, "What should we do, Akina? There are no tickets left. Should we go to another movie theater?"

"Sure, Hiro-kun, don't forget I grew up in Kiyose, I know where there are some Toho cinemas in the back alleys. Come with me, if we hurry we should still make it." Nakamori Akina wasn't worried about this. Although Kimura Hiro was very popular, it was impossible for every cinema to be packed, especially those that might be in the back alleys.

With locals around, this place was naturally easy to find. Nakamori Akina led Kimura Hiroshi through the streets, turning left and right, and soon they arrived at a somewhat dilapidated street. It looked rather run-down, and the buildings seemed to be quite old. Nakamori Akina pointed to a two-story building and said, "There's a small movie theater here. It's been around for many years. It's a bit run-down, and many people don't want to come, but the tickets are very cheap. So, students like me who don't have much money come here if they want to see a movie."

So that's how it is. Even at this time, there were still some people at the entrance of this dilapidated movie theater. They looked younger and were obviously students from the neighborhood who knew about the movie theater. In order to prevent the tickets from selling out again, Nakamori Akina pulled Kimura Hiroshi and rushed towards the movie theater.

Sure enough, they bought tickets very easily this time. The occupancy rate was just over half, and the ticket price was much cheaper. The original price of 1,300 yen was only 900 yen here. Judging from the ticket price, Kimura Hiroshi had a lot of reason to suspect that this somewhat dilapidated movie theater had a very special relationship with Toho, being able to sell movie tickets at such a price.

But as long as he could get a ticket, that wasn't his concern. Soon, the first group of moviegoers came out, and there were obviously more of them than those outside. They were all students, and many of them had obviously arrived early. If they had arrived too late, it wouldn't have been easy to explain to their families.

Following a group of students, Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori entered the movie theater. Sitting among the students, Akina Nakamori seemed very happy and said, "Ah, sitting with these young students makes me feel like I've returned to my youth. It's such a wonderful feeling."

"You're not that old, why are you making such remarks? You'll only be twenty-three next year, people who don't know you'd think you were sixty or seventy." Kimura Hiroshi said, patting Nakamori Akina's head.

"Hehe, just reminiscing, just reminiscing." Nakamori Akina said with a grin, resting her head on Kimura Hiroshi's shoulder.

After a brief chat, the screen lit up and the movie officially started. In order not to disturb other people watching the movie, the two of them dared not speak loudly. With the movie's sound, speaking softly was practically impossible to hear, so they could only concentrate on the movie.

In fact, the story of "The Fast and the Furious" is quite cliché, very similar to those wish-fulfillment novels of later generations. After his wife passed away from a serious illness, the top assassin decided to retire from the life of crime and spend the rest of his life with the little dog that his wife gave him before she died.

He never expected that one day, while driving his beloved classic car, he would be targeted by the son of a Yakuza leader who wanted to forcibly buy his car. The top assassin refused, but the second-generation Yakuza chased him to his home, ambushed and injured him, killed his only source of emotional support—the little dog his wife had given him—and stole his car.

Enraged, the assassin decides to hunt down the second-generation Yakuza. The second-generation Yakuza's father calls to mediate, but is refused, thus beginning a chase and counter-chase.

While the story may be cliché in later generations, it was quite popular at that time. This retired top assassin, using his martial arts skills, fears neither power, the Yakuza, nor money, and relies solely on his strength to forcibly take revenge, which is quite reminiscent of the Japanese chivalrous tales.

But it's not all of those; it also incorporates certain Western values, along with modern gunfights, car chases, and brawls. The scenes are incredibly exciting and intense, making it the kind of action movie that keeps you entertained from start to finish. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes it impossible to stop watching.

Therefore, in this era, this kind of film has a great impact. Kimura Hiroshi could hear gasps and worried hisses coming from the movie theater from time to time. Obviously, their emotions were completely aroused by the film, and they were completely following the film.

There was hardly any talking or discussion in the movie theater, but Hiroshi Kimura knew that his action film was a success. The audience was completely absorbed by the movie and had no time or interest in discussing it.

Despite the intense movie, Akina Nakamori, who was resting her head on his arm, was fast asleep with her eyes closed and her breathing even. This guy, who claimed he could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk and that he would never fall asleep in a movie theater, was sleeping soundly at this moment, even though the movie was showing Hiroshi Kimura's tense battle against the female assassin who disregarded the rules and broke into the safe hotel.

Hiro Kimura had already watched the movie countless times during the editing process, so it didn't hold much appeal for him. What attracted him more was Akina Nakamori sleeping next to him, with her eyelashes constantly fluttering.

He quietly tilted his head and whispered in Nakamori Akina's ear, "There's a naughty kid who's fallen asleep. You're going to spank him. It'll hurt a lot."

It seemed that speaking into someone's ear was very effective. Nakamori Akina sensed the malice and suddenly raised her head, then bumped into Kimura Hiroshi's chin with a thud.

"Ah!" Both of them cried out in pain, which really ruined the viewing experience for the audience in the movie theater, and everyone's attention was drawn to the two of them.

Seeing this, Hiroshi Kimura, who was stroking his chin, quickly pulled Akina Nakamori, who was stroking her head, to her feet and then rushed out of the movie theater. Being stared at like that would attract too much attention and make them easily recognized.

Once they were out of the movie theater, Kimura Hiroshi grabbed Nakamori Akina, patted her head, and asked worriedly, "Does it still hurt? It's all my fault. I saw you were asleep and just wanted to scare you, but I didn't expect to make such a commotion."

It hurt a lot when I bumped into it, but it's much better now. Nakamori Akina was a little embarrassed and said, "It doesn't hurt anymore. It's my fault. I actually fell asleep while watching Hiro-kun's movie. I really shouldn't have done that. I made a big mistake."

Kimura Hiroshi helped Nakamori Akina rub her head, making sure there were no bumps or bleeding, and then said with a hint of annoyance, "Akina is quite self-aware, isn't she? After drinking so much, it's hard for her not to fall asleep. She deserves a spanking."

"No, no, we're on the street, there are so many people, we absolutely can't." Nakamori Akina actually reached out to cover her back, clearly genuinely afraid that Kimura Hiroshi would attack her in the street.

If you're going to hit me, you should wait until we get home. What kind of scene would that be in the street? Kimura Hiroshi found Mori Akina's worried expression amusing and whispered in her ear, "I'll hit you when we get home. Okay, you look tired. Let's go home and get a good night's sleep. We have work tomorrow."

The main reason why Nakamori Akina fell asleep was that she was too tired. She had only rested for two days after returning from her tour, and then she had to take care of him. After that, she participated in various programs and recorded an album. It was like she was working non-stop. No wonder she was tired. So, Kimura Hiroshi just wanted to take her back to sleep as soon as possible.

But just as Kimura Hiroshi was about to pull her away, Nakamori Akina stood there without moving. Kimura Hiroshi turned around and asked, "What's wrong? Aren't you coming?"

"The movie isn't over yet, Hiro-kun. We bought tickets, do you want to go back and finish watching it before we leave?" Nakamori Akina asked tentatively, her eyes wide.

She really is a thrifty woman. She bought movie tickets and wanted to finish watching the movie, but Kimura Hiroshi was unwilling to waste any more time there. He pulled her forcefully and said, "Go back and rest. We've already watched half of it. What's the point of watching anymore? Besides, we made such a commotion just now. What if someone recognizes us when we get back? Go back to sleep. Do you want a spanking?"

Faced with Kimura Hiroshi's threats, Nakamori Akina had no power to resist and could only follow Kimura Hiroshi back to Tokyo in a humiliating manner.

Chapter 483 Extremely Deep Schemes

In this era when Hong Kong action films dominated East Asia, action films had a much larger audience than romance films. The same was true in Japan. For example, Hong Kong's "Brother Lung" was able to accumulate a large number of fans in Japan simply by relying on action films released by Toho. His record sales were close to 100,000 copies without much promotion. He and other kung fu stars were all quite well-known in Japan.

Now, an action film starring Hiroshi Kimura, a top Japanese celebrity, is even being touted as a Hollywood-style action film. This brings to mind the hugely popular "First Blood" from a few years ago. As a result, many moviegoers who are not fans of Hiroshi Kimura have also bought tickets to go to the cinema, wanting to see what this Japanese-made Hollywood-style action film is like.

The result certainly did not disappoint them. Hiroshi Kimura played the male lead, a Hollywood-style lone hero, but not entirely. He carried a touch of Japanese chivalry. The entire film had few unnecessary plots; it was all about fighting and killing, tense and exciting, with various scenes coming one after another, making the audience's blood boil.

The film is exceptionally well-made, with many scenes clearly show the use of advanced special effects, indicating a substantial investment. Compared to the low-budget films that Japanese cinema has been pursuing in recent years, this film is a truly conscientious production, which has earned it high praise from many viewers.

"The Fast and the Furious: A Hollywood-style action blockbuster from Japan, definitely worth watching!"

"The rising star Hiroshi Kimura, the next Japanese dragon?"

Many professional film magazines have given it high praise, commending this big-budget Japanese production and praising Hiroshi Kimura's acting skills, saying that his performance was very good and that his fight scenes were not weak or effeminate, making him seem like an action star.

In fact, during filming, these fight scenes were designed in advance by Hong Kong action directors. In order to save costs, they did not hire very famous action directors, but this was enough, because Hollywood-style action films do not need too many fighting moves, nor do they need to be as complicated as real kung fu films.

With critical acclaim from professional film magazines and newspapers, the film's box office performance set a record for films starring Hiroshi Kimura. The box office exceeded 150 million yen on the first day, jumped to 230 million yen on the second day, and exceeded 260 million yen on the third day. The fourth day marked the peak of the film's run, with box office revenue exceeding 320 million yen. This was the first time since the 1970s and 80s that a Japanese film had grossed more than 300 million yen in a single day.

After one week of release, the film grossed over 2 billion yen, reaching 2.02 billion yen, which is also the best opening weekend box office record for a Toho film in recent years.

You can imagine how Yuya Fukada felt upon hearing this news. Ever since he became friends with Hiroshi Kimura, every film he took over from him had been a huge success. This meant that since he took over as the head of Toho's film sales department, he had never had to worry about performance. If he got one film from Hiroshi Kimura every year, his annual performance would be quite good.

Although the two often had some minor squabbles, their collaboration was generally pleasant. After the box office hit in the first week, he immediately contacted Hiroshi Kimura and invited him to dinner as a celebration. Hiroshi Kimura did not refuse and readily agreed.

Just as Yuya Fukada was about to keep his appointment, he suddenly received an order from the company president, Yoshinari Shimatani, to attend the celebration banquet and bring Yasuko Sawaguchi along so that she could meet Hiroshi Kimura and let him see if he could work with Yasuko Sawaguchi on his next film.

Yuya Fukada dared not refuse the president's order and could only agree. However, he did not dare to take Yasuko Sawaguchi to meet Hiroshi Kimura alone. Although Yasuko Sawaguchi seemed to be just an artist of Toho, her connections were not so simple. Otherwise, it would be unthinkable for a newcomer to star in an NHK morning drama, host the record award ceremony, and become popular so quickly.

What was originally just a private meeting between him and Kimura Hiroshi turned into a gathering where he brought several staff members. He dared not keep this change from Kimura Hiroshi, so he called him directly to inform him.

Kimura Hiroshi was somewhat uncomfortable about this kind of last-minute arrangement based on connections, but when he heard that it was Sawaguchi Yasuko who was coming, he immediately felt better. Sawaguchi Yasuko, one of the great beauties of the Showa era, the winner of Toho's first Cinderella beauty pageant, was said to have a very special relationship with someone at the highest level of Toho. He was quite interested in seeing her.

Kimura Hiroshi readily agreed and arranged a meeting place and time. He would also bring a few staff members with him, which would be a celebration party for both companies.

At 7 p.m., Kimura Hiroshi arrived at a high-end restaurant on time. As soon as they entered, Toho staff were waiting for them downstairs and led them directly to a large private room on the second floor.

"Kimura-san, you've come so quickly! Please have a seat." Upon seeing Kimura Hiroshi enter the private room, Fukada Yuya quickly invited him to sit down.

Kimura Hiroshi walked in, first nodding to Fukada Yuya, then looking at the young woman sitting next to him, but at a slight distance. How to describe her? She had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and fair skin, but her features were not those of a traditional Japanese woman; instead, she had the air of a great beauty from Europe and America.

After sitting down across the table, Kimura Hiroshi said, "I wouldn't dare be late for Fukada-san's invitation. I set off more than an hour early, so I'll be here very quickly."

"Really? When did Kimura-san become so respectful to me? Haha, just kidding. Let me introduce you. This is Yasuko Sawaguchi, a star artist from Toho. Have you met before?" Fukada Yuya introduced Yasuko Sawaguchi, who was sitting next to him.

“I’ve met him before. I saw him backstage when I participated in Fuji TV’s Night HIT, but we never spoke and we’re not very familiar with each other. I wonder if Mr. Kimura remembers me?” Yasuko Sawaguchi spoke first, then looked at Hiroshi Kimura with a smile.

They are all celebrities, and all very famous, so it's impossible that they haven't met at all. It was just backstage at the show. If they weren't familiar with each other, he wouldn't casually get to know a strange female celebrity, let alone that the female celebrity was Yasuko Sawaguchi.

"I remember, Miss Yasuko was as beautiful as ever, but I was a little shy and didn't dare to go up and greet her back then," Kimura Hiroshi said with a hint of embarrassment.

As soon as he said this, the two people opposite him were stunned. Then, Fukada Yu couldn't help but burst into laughter, pointing at Kimura Hiroshi and saying, "Kimura-san, you, you are really too funny. You can be shy, then I am even more shy. I have never even touched a woman's hand."

"You're really humorous, Kimura-san. I didn't expect you to have such an interesting side." Yasuko Sawaguchi also had a good impression of Hiroshi Kimura, at least he wasn't overly serious.

A joke helped to bring everyone closer. After exchanging pleasantries, Fukada Yuya called the waiter to start serving the food. Then it was time to get down to business. He said, "Kimura-san, the box office of 'The Chase' has really exceeded my expectations. It seems that action movies are still very popular. I wonder if you have any plans to make an action movie next?"

Since action movies are profitable, Yuya Fukada naturally felt that it was a good idea to continue making them, because it was a sure-fire way to make money, and there was no harm in doing it.

"Of course there will be. I think we'll be filming a few more in the next few years." The Chase isn't just one movie, it's a series. If it continues to be a big hit, Hiroshi Kimura wouldn't mind making all of them and making a good profit. It's just that the Japanese are too fickle, and he's not very confident that the sequels will be able to achieve good box office results.

When Fukada Yuya heard that Kimura Hiroshi had the idea of ​​making a sequel, his eyes lit up immediately, and he said, "That's really great! I believe the sequel's box office won't be too bad either. Also, Kimura-san, if we're making a sequel, could you give Ms. Yasuko a role?"

Unexpectedly, there was such a requirement. Kimura Hiroshi turned to look at Sawaguchi Yasuko. She was indeed very beautiful, but Sawaguchi Yasuko couldn't fight. If she were in an action movie, she would probably only be a decorative character.

“If Kimura-san is having trouble, there’s no need to care what they think,” Yasuko Sawaguchi said, assuming Kimura Hiroshi was in a difficult position.

Waving his hand, Hiroshi Kimura said, "Arranging a role isn't difficult, but for an action film, Ms. Yasuko's performance probably won't attract much attention. How about I prepare a new film with Ms. Yasuko as the main character? What do you think?"

Knowing that Yasuko Sawaguchi would be here today, I realized she was a big shot at Toho, probably someone with immense influence in the entertainment industry. It's best not to offend someone like that. Since she wants to work with someone like her, I might as well do so and show my goodwill. I think she'll reciprocate with goodwill in return.

"Ah, that is indeed a good idea. I've read Kimura-san's scripts before; every one of them is a classic. If such a movie were to star Ms. Yasuko, it would be a huge boost to her acting career." Fukada Yuya hadn't expected Kimura Hiroshi to do this, and it was naturally the best idea, as it further demonstrated his high regard for Sawaguchi Yasuko.

Even Yasuko Sawaguchi didn't expect that Hiroshi Kimura would be willing to produce a movie with her as the lead. As a movie star, she had seen all of Kimura's screenplays. Although she didn't like all genres, from a professional point of view, each one was a masterpiece and had a great influence even overseas.

She knew that everything was because of the people behind her, and many things were beyond her control. However, Kimura Hiroshi did not just give her a role because of this relationship, but valued her so much. This touched Sawaguchi Yasuko for some reason, and she said, "Isn't this too much trouble? Won't it affect Kimura-san's company business?"

"No, that won't happen. I don't have any plans to shoot a new movie this year. Since that's the case, let's start planning now. Besides, Ms. Yasuko is a popular star. With you as the lead, I think the box office will definitely be good. I have a lot of confidence in Ms. Yasuko," Kimura Hiroshi said very solemnly.

Sawaguchi Yasuko was even more grateful and said, "That's really too much trouble for Kimura-san. Thank you so much."

"Haha, it's nothing. Besides, if there are suitable roles in the future, I will also consider Ms. Yasuko. In particular, Ms. Yasuko's image has a kind of European and American beauty feel. If it is to shoot a movie that will be released in Europe and America, I think your image is very suitable," Kimura Hiroshi said in praise.

Women love compliments, even if she's a big star, let alone when it's Kimura Hiroshi being praised. Sawaguchi Yasuko was overjoyed and said with a smile, "Oh, really? I'm not as pretty as Kimura-san says, but if possible, I'd be happy to work with Kimura-san."