My daily life with the original diva

The two continued chatting about Shinmi's issues. As they got more and more into the conversation, the distance between them at the table grew shorter and shorter. Fukada Yuya, who was sitting next to her, coughed twice, which brought Sawaguchi Yasuko back to her senses. She had talked too much with Kimura Hiroshi today. It was no wonder, though. Kimura Hiroshi was handsome, humorous, and knew how to compliment people. It was a charm that no woman could resist.

"I need to use the restroom, I'm so sorry." Knowing her place and that she couldn't be attracted to other men, she chose to leave quickly to calm down.

After Yasuko Sawaguchi left, Yuya Fukada whispered to Hiroshi Kimura, "Kimura-san, do you know who she is? How can you be so close to her? This will get you into a lot of trouble."

Leaning back in his chair, Kimura Hiroshi was completely devoid of the fawning demeanor he had displayed earlier. He grinned and said, "I know, that's why I won't have any private contact with her. But doesn't Fukada-san know that pleasing the bedmates of important figures is actually more effective? If they say a few good words for you, many things can be easily resolved. Even if it means selling a little bit of your body, it's nothing."

To everyone's surprise, Kimura Hiroshi had this in mind. Fukada Yuya was shocked once again. He found that he could no longer understand Kimura Hiroshi. Many of the things this guy did were completely beyond his expectations, and his cunning was terrifying.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Fukada-san, how's the box office for 'Raging Chase' overseas? Have you heard anything back yet? Compared to the box office in Japan, I'm actually more concerned about the box office in Europe and America. If possible, we can continue to make this type of movie in the future and make a fortune overseas."

The bubble economy can last for another two years before it's on the verge of collapse. That will be the perfect time to buy quality assets at rock-bottom prices. At that time, you need to accumulate funds. As long as you have enough funds, the returns will be enormous, and you could even live a worry-free life. So what Kimura Hiroshi needs to do now is to collect as much money as possible.

"It will take a few more days. News from overseas won't come back so quickly, but judging from the effects of the initial publicity, it shouldn't be too bad. Kimura-san, please rest assured, once the overseas box office is settled, Toho will settle it with you as quickly as possible. I guarantee you won't have to wait too long." Having witnessed Kimura Hiroshi's shrewdness and knowing his capabilities today, Fukada Yu also dared not offend this guy.

"That puts my mind at ease. I've been making so much money from my investments lately, and I'm really short on cash," Kimura Hiroshi said, half-jokingly.

Chapter 484 Need a Secretary

Since he had promised to tailor-make a movie for Yasuko Sawaguchi, Hiroshi Kimura would naturally keep his word and make her as famous as possible, ideally even internationally. Yasuko Sawaguchi was already one of the top film stars in Japan, and she didn't lack domestic fame; what she lacked was international recognition.

The reason why the person behind her arranged for her to meet him was probably to get Hiroshi Kimura to help Yasuko Sawaguchi expand into overseas markets and increase her fame. If that's the case, then Hiroshi Kimura naturally has to fulfill the other party's wishes.

Even if he were to push the film into overseas markets, he wouldn't actually invest much, because all he would need to do is make the film. How it goes overseas would be Toho's responsibility, and Kimura Hiroshi is confident that Toho would invest even more resources than he would have.

This would also be very beneficial for Hiroshi Kimura, because with this movie, he might not only gain favor with the bigwigs, but also make a fortune, or even make a sure-fire profit.

However, he hasn't had time to make a movie for Yasuko Sawaguchi lately because his new single "Diamonds" has started its official promotional tour. Kimura Hiroshi's main focus is on this new single, so he doesn't have the energy to prepare for the new movie.

As a lighthearted and cheerful song with a touch of hedonism, "Diamonds" immediately demonstrated its power in the bubble economy after Hiroshi Kimura began promoting it. After only three days of promotion, it successfully topped the cable song charts.

Many young people called the song request service to request this single because they felt that the song expressed their feelings. Even young Japanese men who did not originally like Hiroshi Kimura felt the same way, saying that although they disliked his appearance, the single made them feel very comfortable.

The result was that in the first week of the single's release, it achieved an unprecedented first-week sales volume of over 300,000 copies, reaching 320,000 copies. This sales volume shocked many insiders in the record industry. Those who didn't know better might have thought that the record market had fully recovered.

However, a glance at the sales figures of other singers' singles reveals that the record market is far from recovering. The sales of a large number of top-tier singers' singles are still hovering between tens and hundreds of thousands of copies, and singers with single album sales exceeding 500,000 copies are extremely rare. It is quite far off to say that the market is recovering.

But the good news didn't stop there for Hiroshi Kimura. The overseas box office of "The Longest Nite" also began to come back to Japan. The first to return was the box office in East Asia. Given Hiroshi Kimura's popularity in East Asia, his personal promotional tours, and the excellent quality of the film, the film's box office became a huge hit in East Asia.

Data from various regions shows that "The Fast and the Furious" grossed over four million US dollars in its first week of release in East Asia. Although this is the total from all regions, it is still a very impressive box office performance, and this was only in the first week.

Compared to East Asia, the box office performance in Europe and America, despite some pre-release promotion, was not particularly impressive in its opening week due to limited screenings and low brand recognition, with total figures from various regions showing only around six million US dollars.

Kimura Hiroshi was naturally not satisfied with this box office data. It should be noted that in this era, there were many action blockbusters in Europe and America that grossed over $100 million, such as First Blood, which was released in 1982 and grossed over $120 million. So it makes no sense that the box office was only six million dollars in the first six months, which is the total of Europe and America.

"Ah, I don't know if it's because Toho's distribution channels aren't strong enough, or because the movie's quality isn't good enough, or maybe it's some kind of discrimination?" Looking at the total box office figures reported from Europe and America, Kimura Hiroshi directly voiced his dissatisfaction.

Takaaki Matsumoto, who was reporting to Hiroshi Kimura in the office, dared not respond to this, because he could not answer any of the three reasons given by Kimura. After a moment's thought, he replied, "It may be because of insufficient publicity in the early stages, coupled with the fact that the screening rate did not exceed three percent, so the box office did not meet expectations. Once those who have seen it go out and help promote it, the box office may rise later."

Relying on film quality to boost box office revenue is possible, but Hiroshi Kimura also realized that it is not easy to make a name for himself in the European and American markets. The reason why "Léon: The Professional" was unexpectedly popular was due to the special relationship between him and Akina Nakamori, who played lovers in the film, plus some bizarre elements.

This also made Hiroshi Kimura understand why the Japanese entertainment industry rarely tried to break into the European and American markets in later generations. Even if your work is excellent enough, you may not be able to open up the market you want due to certain discrimination reasons, and in the end, the investment is far greater than the return you can get.

Therefore, Kimura Hiroshi was quite skeptical about whether the quality of a movie could boost box office revenue. He said with a slight sigh, "Maybe the box office will improve. Let me know if it does. By the way, it's not like a company president should be constantly asking you to report to him. How's the matter of finding me a secretary going?"

As the vice president, Takaaki Matsumoto had a lot to do. It was really inappropriate for a vice president to report to him every time. So Hiroshi Kimura asked him to find a secretary. Now that the business of Hegemony is increasing, it is indeed necessary to have someone to summarize and handle the various matters of the company.

"Ah, we're already preparing. Because of the president's special status, we need to be more careful when hiring a secretary. However, we don't have a suitable candidate yet. If the president has any special requirements, we can discuss them now." Matsumoto Takaaki was being extra cautious about finding a secretary for Kimura Hiroshi, because Kimura Hiroshi was not only the company's president but also a top celebrity. If he found an unreliable secretary, who knows what kind of trouble it would cause.

Kimura Hiroshi didn't really have any special requirements for a secretary, but after thinking for a moment, he said, "As for a secretary, I know Matsumoto-san will definitely assess her professional abilities carefully. As for other requirements, if it's a female secretary, it's best if she's not too pretty. Do you understand what I mean?"

Matsumoto Takaaki understood perfectly well what this meant. Clearly, the president didn't want to cause any misunderstanding with the future boss's wife, so he wanted to find someone with a more ordinary appearance. He said, "I understand, president, please don't worry."

Chapter 485 A fan was recruited.

As the vice president of Hegemony, the company's de facto manager, Takaaki Matsumoto was not actually opposed to reporting to Hiroshi Kimura, because it was an opportunity for him to have close contact with the president and to demonstrate the extremely close working relationship between him and the president in front of all the company's employees and executives.

However, as Wit Studio expanded, it had divisions for manga, film production, and television production. These divisions were further divided into smaller sub-divisions. For example, the manga division included manga drawing, manga magazine printing, and animation production in collaboration with television stations. It was quite complex, and the number of employees grew from just one or two hundred to six or seven hundred.

In Japan's corporate management system, many things are reported to him for decision-making. Of course, the most important things are reported to Kimura Hiroshi for decision-making. But even these things are enough to keep Matsumoto Takaaki extremely busy.

Although Wit's company has never encouraged overtime, even when Takaaki Matsumoto leaves the company and goes home, he still has to deal with work-related matters. In addition, he has to report to Hiroshi Kimura every few days and summarize information from various departments, which is quite tiring.

He originally wanted to find himself an assistant or secretary to handle this matter, but as the president, Kimura Hiroshi did not have a secretary or assistant, and he, as the vice president, needed a secretary to share the work. So Matsumoto Takaaki finally made a decision to find a secretary for Kimura Hiroshi. The secretary would be responsible for summarizing these tasks, and he could review them later.

This may seem like a secretary was found for Kimura Hiroshi, but in reality, it was also found for him, only nominally. This is Matsumoto Takaaki's workplace philosophy: give face to the big boss, and you can also get the actual benefits yourself. Isn't this a win-win situation?

Matsumoto Takaaki knew he needed to be extra careful when choosing a secretary for Kimura Hiroshi. After all, Kimura Hiroshi was not only the president of Hegemony, but also a big star. If he found someone who wasn't very discreet or was careless and leaked some information about Kimura Hiroshi, he would be in serious trouble.

So, regarding the matter of recruiting a secretary, he decided to take charge personally. He first had the human resources department issue recruitment information, and after the human resources department conducted an initial screening, he would determine the final candidate.

If Hegemony is hiring, there will be a lot of job seekers. Although in this bubble era, people don't have to worry about finding a job, especially college students. Some companies even hire them before they even graduate and give them so-called pre-booking bonuses. Hegemony doesn't need to do that because it is known for not having overtime and offering generous salaries. These two points alone are enough to attract many young people. There's no way around it. In this bubble era, everyone wants to live a carefree life. If you're always working overtime, where will you find the time to play?

Therefore, not working overtime is actually very important, but in Japan, companies that don't require much overtime are truly rare. So for those who follow Hegemony, it is definitely an excellent choice.

Less than a week after the job posting was released, more than two hundred job applications were received by the human resources department. Of course, they didn't say they were looking for a secretary for the president, because too many people already knew who the president of Hegemony was. They posted that they were looking for a secretary, without specifying who it was, but even so, there were still many resumes.

"A male secretary is really not appropriate. The president is a young man, and it's strange that there's always another man by his side. Let's have a female secretary instead. Remember not to choose those who wear overly flamboyant makeup. These are mostly people who are very attention-seeking. Who knows when they might talk about what's going on with the president and cause a bad influence. These are the requirements for the initial selection. As for appearance, just don't be unpleasant to look at."

Originally, Takaaki Matsumoto wanted to choose a prettier secretary for Hiroshi Kimura, since many company presidents have beautiful female secretaries by their side. However, Hiroshi Kimura had a requirement that the secretary not be too pretty, so Matsumoto had to comply. He would not make any requirements regarding appearance, and whether the candidate was beautiful or ugly would depend entirely on who was more suitable.

With this requirement in place, the HR department worked very quickly. First, they looked at the resumes and eliminated a batch of unqualified candidates. Then, they brought them over for another round of interviews, eliminating most of them again. Finally, only four candidates remained. In fact, all four of them would join the Hegemony Club because they were excellent enough. This was the same as Stardust's previous selection of newcomers.

Matsumoto Takaaki naturally had to interview these four people in person. He didn't hide his identity or anything, and conducted the interviews directly as the vice president. This surprised the four interviewees, who didn't know why the vice president would personally come to interview them when selecting a secretary.

Naturally, Takaaki Matsumoto wouldn't explain the reasons to them, and his interviews wouldn't assess any business skills. The fact that these four people were selected from over two hundred applicants meant that their business skills were among the best, so there was no need to assess them.

The interviews went quickly because Takaaki Matsumoto only asked a few questions. Soon, the first and second interviewees were eliminated by him. The reason was simple: these two interviewees had many friends and often went out to parties.

When the third interviewee came in, Takaaki Matsumoto glanced at her resume and then at her appearance. He had a good impression of her; she was pretty, wore light makeup, and entered quietly. So he said, "Ms. Yumi Maeda, a student at Saitama University, graduating next spring, right?"

Striving to remain calm, Maeda Yumi replied slowly, "Yes, Mr. Vice President."

“What a great place! Although it’s remote, it has produced quite a few remarkable people, such as our president. Today, I’m personally conducting the recruitment. I won’t ask about your business skills, but only a few unrelated questions. First, how many friends does Ms. Maeda Yumi have?” Matsumoto Takaaki asked.

"What kind of question is this?" Maeda Yumi was stunned. The reason she applied for a job at Hegemony was because it was something she had decided to do back in high school. Her idol, Kimura Hiroshi, was here. Although he had officially announced that he was with Nakamori Akina, that couldn't stop her from coming to her idol's side, working with him, and even talking to him.

She just didn't quite understand why she was applying for a job here. This rather aloof-looking vice president was asking her if she had many friends. Wasn't this a job posting for a secretary? Or was it a job posting for a salesperson, requiring them to have many friends to attract business?

Completely baffled, Yumi Maeda decided to answer truthfully, saying, "Friends? I don't have many. If the company has rules, I can try to get to know more."

“That’s not necessary. It’s fine as it is now. So, will Ms. Maeda Yumi often go to parties and chat with her friends?” Matsumoto Takaaki asked again.

This made Maeda Yumi feel increasingly strange. If it were any other company, she would have run away long ago if she encountered this problem, but this was Hegemony, and she had to get in. So she braced herself and replied, "No, I only have a few close friends, and they are all very busy. If we have time, we will meet and chat."

“Hmm, very good. As for friends, a few are enough. So, one last question: if you suddenly met a big star, would you immediately share this news with everyone around you?” Matsumoto Takaaki continued to ask.

"Uh, no, I don't think it's a big deal." In Maeda Yumi's opinion, there is only one celebrity who could make her do this, and that is Kimura Hiroshi. As for other celebrities, she doesn't really care.

However, Matsumoto Takaaki was quite satisfied with Maeda Yumi's answer. He nodded slightly and said, "Alright, I've finished asking my questions, Ms. Maeda Yumi. Please wait outside for a moment. We will tell you the final result shortly."

"Okay, I'll wait outside. Thank you all very much." The questions were abrupt and confusing, leaving Maeda Yumi completely bewildered. She didn't even know if she had been chosen, so she could only obediently wait outside.

After she came out, the fourth applicant was called in, and she came out quickly as well. About half an hour later, Maeda Yumi heard someone from the recruitment staff calling her and asking her to come into the office. This made her very excited. No one else was called, only her. Did that mean she was hired?

Trying to suppress her excitement, Maeda Yumi entered the office. Sure enough, she saw the vice president smiling at her and saying, "Congratulations, Ms. Maeda Yumi, you have been hired and will soon become a member of Hegemony Company. However, you will also have a probationary period. After the probationary period, you will become a full-time employee."

"Oh, right, there's something I can tell you in advance. The reason I asked you those strange questions is because this is a recruitment drive for the company president's secretary. I think you know who our company president is, so there will be many things you need to keep confidential in your work. Do you understand what I mean?"

If she hadn't been sitting in a chair, Maeda Yumi would have almost fainted from this good news. Good heavens, they were actually selecting a secretary for Kimura Hiroshi, and she had been chosen. Didn't that mean she would have many opportunities to get to know Kimura Hiroshi in the future? And if so, could something happen that wasn't related to work?

With a slight tremor in her body, Yumi Maeda struggled to her feet and said in a trembling voice, "Thank you, thank you everyone, thank you for hiring me. I will definitely work very hard in the future, complete all work tasks, and I will absolutely keep the president's whereabouts strictly confidential."

Seeing Maeda Yumi's excited expression, Matsumoto Takaaki knew she was happy, but he still said, "Don't get too excited, Ms. Maeda Yumi. You will only officially become the president's secretary after you pass the probation period. If your performance is not up to standard, I will choose your successor from among them."

"I know, I know, please rest assured, Mr. Vice President, I will definitely do my best," Maeda Yumi said excitedly.

"Okay, that's good. Go back now and come back tomorrow to complete the onboarding process. Let the three of them come in too." Without wasting any time, Matsumoto Takaaki let her go back. The work wouldn't start until tomorrow.

Completely dazed, Maeda Yumi had no idea how she left the Hegemony Company. She was in a daze, lost in her fantasies, imagining what would happen after she met Kimura Hiroshi.

She walked quite a distance before she came to her senses and realized she had missed the subway station entrance. But instead of rushing to find it, she went to a public phone booth to make a call. She wanted to tell the person she would always share secrets with about her dream coming true.

The call was connected for a while before the person on the other end answered. When Maeda Yumi heard that familiar voice, she almost shouted, "Sachiko-chan, I did it! I did it!"

Meanwhile, Sachiko Kamachi, who was practicing at the agency, recognized her best friend Yumi Maeda's voice, but Yumi kept shouting "Success! Success!" and she had no idea what it meant. So she could only ask, "Yumi-chan, what did you succeed?"

"Ah, I'm so excited, I didn't explain clearly. Sachiko-chan, I got the job at Kimura-chan's company! And you know what? They actually hired Kimura-chan's secretary! I got the job, which means I'll be Kimura-chan's secretary from now on, and I can see him often!" Maeda Yumi completely forgot the confidentiality principle that Matsumoto Takaaki had told her and immediately told others the news.

If Matsumoto Takaaki heard this, he would be furious. He thought the most suitable person was someone who didn't have many friends, didn't like parties, and wouldn't get excited just because he knew a celebrity. Yet, this person had already revealed something that should have been kept secret as soon as he left the company.

Meanwhile, Sachiko Kamachi was completely stunned upon hearing the news. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. She was happy for her best friend, but at the same time, she was very worried. She wasn't worried that Hiroshi Kimura would do anything to her best friend, because she knew that Hiroshi Kimura wasn't some kind of ghost who was shot.

What worried her was that Maeda Yumi had become Kimura Hiroshi's secretary, and that Kimura would definitely find out that she had joined Stardust Media, an agency under Kimura Hiroshi's control, as an artist. But she had sworn that she would never have any contact with Kimura Hiroshi, let alone have any interaction with him.

In the end, she broke her promise. Not only did they keep in touch, but they also met frequently and became friends. She didn't dare tell Maeda Yumi any of this because she really didn't know how to say it. But at this point, Kamachi Sachiko knew she couldn't hide it anymore, so she said, "Congratulations, Yumi-chan! Since such a good thing happened, it's best to celebrate. How about we meet tonight? I also have something I want to tell you."

“Yes, such a great thing definitely deserves a celebration. Let’s meet tonight.” Completely unaware of the situation, Maeda Yumi happily agreed.

Chapter 486 Why didn't you invite me?

At 8 p.m., after finishing her day of training, Sachiko Kamachi took the subway to the restaurant where she had arranged to meet Yumi Maeda. She felt somewhat lost and unsure of what to say when she saw Yumi Maeda.

When she entered the restaurant, she saw Maeda Yumi sitting by the window waving vigorously at her, and Kamachi Sachiko quickly went over to her.

"Oh, you're so busy, Sachiko-chan? You only arrived after eight o'clock. Looks like you're going to be famous soon. How does it feel to be a singer?" Maeda Yumi said with a slightly joking smile.

The two of them were best friends since high school. When Sachiko changed jobs and became a singer, she would naturally tell Yumi Maeda. However, Yumi Maeda was a semi-underground singer, but she would not tell her best friend about it.

Sachiko, who was still unsure how to start the conversation, relaxed a bit as she listened to her best friend's slightly joking words. She said, "Being a singer is alright, but it's also very difficult. Also, why did you order such expensive stuff? You're only just starting to look for a job; you need to be more frugal."

Looking at the expensive steak and even a bottle of red wine on the table, Sachiko Kamachi couldn't help but say, "Working is different from being a student. You have to carefully calculate how much money you earn and how much you spend. You can't just spend it recklessly, lest you run out of money before you even get your salary, which would be quite unpleasant."

"Hehe, I'm so happy! Just thinking about becoming Kimura-chan's secretary makes me want to jump for joy. Treating me is nothing, don't worry about eating. I still have some money saved up. Hmm, being Kimura-chan's secretary will definitely pay quite well." Maeda Yumi couldn't contain her joy and said, gesturing wildly.

"Congratulations, Yumi-chan, you've achieved your wish." Sachiko Kamachi offered her blessings first, then continued, "Yumi-chan, I have something to tell you."

"What is it? Just say it, Sachiko-chan. Even if you're asking to borrow a million yen, I'm in a good mood right now and I'll try to lend it to you," Maeda Yumi said generously.

It would be fine if it were just a loan, but that's not the problem. However, Sachiko knew that continuing to hide it might cause a rift in their friendship. She mustered her courage and said, "Yumi-chan, it's like this. The agency I work for is actually owned by Kimura-san. I was able to become a singer because Kimura-san recommended me. In other words, Kimura-san and I have actually been quite familiar with each other since last year."

Mustering her courage, she blurted it all out in one breath. Maeda Yumi, who was sitting across from her and about to enjoy her steak, was completely stunned. She hadn't expected that Sachiko Kamachi would say this. She said in disbelief, "Sachiko-chan actually became a singer under Kimura-chan, and you two were already quite familiar with each other last year. But I remember you really disliked Kimura-chan, thinking he was a lecher?"

Seeing that Maeda Yumi looked completely incredulous, Kamachi Sachiko thought she was angry and was about to explain when Maeda Yumi spoke again.

"Could it be that Sachiko-chan, you've given in to Kimura-chan? Has he really taken a liking to you? Have you two already slept together? Oh my god, this is such a shocking thing! Why didn't you invite me? I want to try it too. Sachiko-chan, what does it taste like?"

What?! Now it was Sachiko Kamachi's turn to be stunned. She had no idea what Yumi Maeda was thinking. What did she mean by not inviting her? No, what did she mean by giving in to Kimura-san? Was she crazy?

"Yumi-chan, what are you talking about? Kimura-san isn't that kind of person. I misunderstood him before. Actually, he's a gentleman. He's a major shareholder in an agency with many beautiful female artists, but he rarely even looks at them. Kimura-san and his girlfriend Akina-san have a very good relationship and are very devoted to each other. When he looked at me, he just thought I was suitable to be a singer. I didn't expect that I misunderstood him."

Setting down her knife and fork, Maeda Yumi listened to Sachiko Kamachi's story, her expression shifting between happiness and disappointment. After Sachiko finished speaking, she said with a strange look, "I never expected Kimura-chan to be so devoted. It's so heartwarming. But if that's the case, then I have no chance. Sachiko-chan, how about we team up and get Kimura-chan? I promise I'll share everything with you."