My daily life with the original diva

He knew that Nakamori Akina was probably unhappy because her father and brother had managed to bankrupt their once-thriving bar and restaurant, so he wanted to comfort her. Although he disliked those two guys, he cared more about Nakamori Akina.

Shaking her head, Nakamori Akina placed her hand on Kimura Hiroshi's hand, which was gripping the car's gear shift, and said, "No way, Hiroshi-kun, don't worry about them anymore. I didn't see them make much money running the butcher shop before. If we open another one for them, it'll probably be the same. Besides, even their well-run bar and restaurant went bankrupt. They definitely won't be able to do any other business well."

Nakamori Akina knew her family members all too well. If her father had been good at managing things, her childhood wouldn't have been so difficult, and her mother wouldn't have had to work so many jobs to raise her and her sisters.

“What I’m worried about is that my dad and brother have lost their biggest source of income. Will they harass my mom? They definitely know I give her money for medical treatment and recuperation. They might try to ask her for money. Right now, my mom needs to rest and recuperate. I’m very scared that something might happen.” Nakamori Akina expressed her real concerns.

So that's why. It's quite possible. You see, the father and son don't have very high standards. Now that the bar is closed, they're only getting the small amount of money that Nakamori Akina gives them every year. They're definitely not satisfied with that, and they might go to the sick Chieko for more money.

"How about we bring Aunt Chieko to Tokyo and arrange a place for her to stay? That way, she shouldn't be so easily harassed," Kimura Hiroshi suggested.

Still shaking her head, Akina Nakamori said, "I asked my mother earlier, but she didn't want to. She wants to continue living there. She feels that she would be too lonely in Tokyo. In Kiyose, she knows people, and her sisters often visit her, so I didn't insist."

"I see. In that case, we'll just have to be more careful and call home often so we can find out quickly if anything happens and prevent Aunt Chieko from being harassed too much," Kimura Hiroshi said after thinking for a moment.

"That's all we can do. I'm really sorry, Hiro-kun, for causing you trouble because of my family's situation again," Nakamori Akina said apologetically.

With a chuckle, Hiroshi Kimura said with a mischievous grin, "What do you mean 'your family' or 'my family'? I'm practically part of Akina's family, so it's only right that I take care of things like this."

"Hmph, shameless! What do you mean my house is your house? No way! We're not even married yet, so of course we can't... even if we were married, it wouldn't work." Nakamori Akina's voice trailed off, as if she were quite embarrassed.

Back in Tokyo, after a good night's rest, Akina Nakamori officially got busy again, while Hiro Kimura still had a vacation and spent two days lounging around in his apartment. His leisurely demeanor made Akina Nakamori, who was exhausted every day, quite envious, and she said she would reduce her workload this year.

Kimura Hiroshi was of course 100% in favor, but the woman did not follow through on her promise and continued to carry out her work according to plan.

Kimura Hiroshi's laid-back lifestyle soon came to an end. With the holiday over, he had to start working on the new year, and naturally, the first thing he had to do was work on his own company.

Kimura Hiroshi's biggest concern right now is the progress of the Pokémon game adaptation. Although Wit Studio has provided the character designs and storylines, the development of Pokémon is not easy, especially in this day and age. Handheld games are not just about writing code; their content is quite complex, so Kimura Hiroshi naturally won't interfere too much.

With development progressing slowly, Kimura Hiroshi put the matter aside and instead inquired about the year-end bonus distribution. Last year, Hegemony's profits were substantial, so Kimura Hiroshi was naturally generous, awarding a very high year-end bonus, 50% more than the previous two years, and employee salaries also increased.

Unfortunately, it was 1989, and Japan's economic bubble was heading towards its most illusory stage. This year would be the peak of the bubble economy.

The entire country of Japan was in a state of extreme prosperity and illusion. Every company was actively recruiting, and even students from some well-known universities were pre-booked by companies before they even left home. Some companies even provided all the signing fees to the college students.

This is nothing short of a scenario where companies pay students a signing fee before they even start working, in order to get them to sign with their company and become employees. This practice goes beyond the basic logic of a capitalist society and is absolutely the most unrealistic scenario.

Under such circumstances, it will only fuel people's enthusiasm for consumption and investment, pushing the bubble to its maximum, and then causing it to crash heavily when the entire Japanese society can no longer accept it. That day is not far away.

However, even now, Kimura Hiroshi still has to follow the rules of the bubble era, which is to give his employees generous salaries. But he also knows that these generous salaries probably won't last long. His employees are unaware of this, as they are completely immersed in the joy of their soaring salaries.

After confirming that the year-end bonuses and salaries would be distributed as planned, Hiroshi Kimura began to inquire about the progress of Takeshi Kitano's new film. And you know what? Kitano is a man of remarkable speed. With the financial and manpower support provided by Hiroshi Kimura, this guy was actually about to finish filming.

"So, in another two weeks, his film 'Violent Man' will be finished?" Hiroshi Kimura asked, somewhat incredulously.

"Yes, President, the new movie will be finished filming in half a month at most, maybe even sooner. Then we can start editing and post-production. By the way, the film and television production department asked me to ask you when our other film and television production plans for this year will begin?" Matsumoto Takaaki was also asking Kimura Hiroshi about his work plans for the new year.

At the end of last year, aside from taking care of all the tasks that needed to be done, Hiroshi Kimura's plans for the company's new year were essentially a complete mess. He didn't make any new plans, but the entire department couldn't rely on him to run, which wouldn't do.

So Kimura Hiroshi asked, "Don't the film and television production departments have their own work plans? Do they have to rely on me to create them?"

"Ah, no, President, you misunderstand. This year, the film and television production department has its own plans. We're preparing to produce two television dramas and one film. The television dramas have already been confirmed with TV Asahi. As for the film, it was proposed by Iwai-san, and we plan to start filming in April. The reason they asked is mainly because they're worried that the President might have some new plans that could clash with the filming schedule, and they might not have enough manpower." Matsumoto Takaaki quickly explained, afraid that Kimura Hiroshi would misunderstand and think they were all waiting for him and doing nothing.

It seemed he had misunderstood. Kimura Hiroshi was somewhat embarrassed. However, he did have some plans for this year. He tapped the table in front of him and said, "It seems their plans are quite good. I am very satisfied. As for my side, I will be transferring people to Toho in May to work on 'Triangle.' In addition, I am preparing to shoot a new TV series, which should be around September."

Having won the record award, Hiroshi Kimura plans to sing a lot this year as a way to give back to his fans and solidify his popularity, as well as to welcome the arrival of the record era in the 1990s. As for movies, he plans to resume filming next year, and next year he can film "Rapid Chase 2". As for TV dramas, Hiroshi Kimura has not thought about it yet, but maybe he can film something exciting?

“A new TV series will be filmed in September… Okay, President, I’ve written it all down. Do you have any other plans to add?” After writing down all of Kimura Hiroshi’s work for the year, Matsumoto Takaaki asked again.

"That's all. Go and make the arrangements. Just make sure the schedule is right," Kimura Hiroshi replied, leaning back on the sofa.

That's pretty much it for the company's plans for the new year. Of course, there's more to it than just this. This year, we're also preparing to split the company up, separating the manga division. However, at the peak of this bubble economy, Kimura Hiroshi feels that splitting it up would be too costly, so he's thinking of finalizing the plan first and then seeing how things go next year before doing so.

As for the content of the comic magazine, he doesn't need to worry about that anymore. The comic department can produce the content themselves, and he doesn't need to worry about the quality either. Of course, he can bring out the good comics in his mind anytime he wants, but there's no need to rush now because he has a lot of things to do and doesn't have that much energy. He'll deal with it when he has more free time later.

After settling things at the company, Hiroshi Kimura returned to his agency to continue his singing career. In fact, Kimura could have easily given up his singing career and focused on running the company, but he just couldn't bear to. Performing on stage was his dream, and now that he had finally achieved it, he just couldn't bring himself to give it up.

Back in his office, Kimura Hiroshi saw Tomioka Yukio busy at work. He sat down in a chair and said, "Mr. Tomioka, I'd like to release my first single of the year in early March. That should be fine, right?"

When Yukio Tomioka, who was handling the New Year's television program schedule for Hiroshi Kimura, heard that Kimura had actually asked to release a record, he was stunned for a moment, and then asked incredulously, "Kimura-san, do you mean you want to release a new record in early March?"

Hearing Tomioka Yukio's somewhat incredulous tone, Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but laugh and asked, "What's wrong, Mr. Tomioka? Do you not believe it or do you think there's a problem? Your tone is so strange."

"That's unbelievable, Kimura-san. It's been so long. If I hadn't urged you, you probably wouldn't have even bothered to release an album these past few years. Last year, you only released two singles and didn't even release an album. How come you're releasing a new single this year? It's really unbelievable. What happened, Kimura-san?" Yukio Tomioka stood up and walked over to Hiroshi Kimura to ask.

It was because of this that Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but laugh out loud, drawing the attention of the others in the office. Kimura Hiroshi quickly stopped laughing.

"That is indeed my fault, Mr. Tomioka. I will definitely release a record properly this year. According to the previous plan, I will release three singles and one album this year, and I will definitely complete it without any compromise." Kimura Hiroshi made a promise to Tomioka Yukio.

Knowing that once Kimura Hiroshi made a promise, he would definitely keep it, Tomioka Yukio couldn't help but clap his hands and say, "Good, good, good, Kimura-san, that's really great. As long as you release the record according to plan this year, I will definitely support all your work."

“Yes, I naturally believe in Mr. Tomioka. However, I’ve already sung a theme song for a TV drama this year, so if I’m going to release something, it should be two singles and an album. That shouldn’t be too difficult,” Kimura Hiroshi said, stroking his chin.

Just when he was so excited to cooperate on the new record project, Hiroshi Kimura suddenly dropped a third of the number of singles, turning three singles into two. Yukio Tomioka's excitement hadn't even faded before he felt like he'd been hit hard.

"Kimura-san, your theme song is being sold in conjunction with 'Long Vacation,' and as you know, given the current situation, it's uncertain when the song will even be released. So you'll need to make other plans." Yukio Tomioka quickly identified the problem with this plan and reminded Hiroshi Kimura.

If Tenhuang is seriously ill and his condition doesn't improve, then the TV series "Long Vacation" might not be able to air for a year or even longer, and the accompanying theme song would naturally not be able to be released. Therefore, Yukio Tomioka's suggestion is something that should definitely be considered.

Kimura Hiroshi knew that the Emperor in the palace probably wouldn't live much longer. Once his mourning period was over, the TV series could be broadcast. But he couldn't say that directly.

So Kimura Hiroshi pretended to suddenly realize something and said, "Indeed, Mr. Tomioka is right. In that case, I need to make some other plans. I'm thinking of writing another song. As for the single in March, I'll give it to Mr. Tomioka in a couple of days. Time is tight, so I need to hurry."

Chapter 529 Finally Dead

Once he decides to do something seriously, Hiroshi Kimura always acts very quickly. Within two days, he had selected his new single to be released in March, written the song, and taken it back to his agency, preparing to have Yukio Tomioka take it to Warner Music for arrangement.

Although Yukio Tomioka had seen such rapid songwriting speed many times, he still couldn't help but gasp in amazement. Sometimes, Yukio Tomioka really wanted to open up Hiroshi Kimura's brain and see what kind of structure it was that allowed him to write new songs so quickly. Even a genius singer-songwriter couldn't maintain such high-quality output for such a long time.

He suspected that Hiroshi Kimura might have already stored countless excellent singles in his mind, ready to be retrieved whenever he wanted, which was why he could do it so quickly.

"It seems like this is yet another inspirational song, no matter when?" After receiving the new single, Yukio Tomioka glanced at it and found that Hiroshi Kimura's new single was another inspirational song.

This is also a common type of single created by Hiroshi Kimura. His debut rock single, "The Most Important Thing," was also an inspirational single, and he has created several other singles of this type since then.

"Yes and no, Mr. Tomioka. This single is an inspirational single, but at the same time it is a single written for young people. Young people should be themselves."

"No matter when, no matter when, I will live my own life. I want to embrace the feeling of being able to say that I like what I like. No matter when, no matter when, I know that the days of pursuing my dreams will become my answer..."

"With the graduation season approaching in March, I think this single written for young people is quite timely and will resonate with many young people, since young people nowadays are all about pursuing their own goals."

For no apparent reason, Hiroshi Kimura suddenly chuckled when talking about pursuing self-realization. He thought that it would be best to create some singles that warn young people against indulging in pleasure. However, when people are immersed in extravagant enjoyment, they dislike hearing such warnings the most. Since that's the case, Hiroshi Kimura thought he might as well sing a single that echoes their sentiments. However, the self-realization he pursues now will be returned to these pleasure-seeking young people in the coming years in double measure.

"No Matter When" is indeed an excellent single. It was Noriyuki Shinhara's third original single, released in 1991, and his first single to sell over a million copies. The song is of excellent quality and helped him become one of the best male singer-songwriters in Japan.

As a legendary figure in the Japanese music scene, Noriyuki Shinhara has created more than just one excellent single. He has many other outstanding singles, such as "The Only Flower in the World," which sold three million copies. Hiroshi Kimura remembers them all and can bring them up at any time. However, while he is truly talented and a prodigy, he lacks self-respect, a common problem among many entertainment industry geniuses. In the end, he ruined himself. He could have been popular for many years, but he almost ruined his career in just a few years.

Listening to Hiroshi Kimura's explanation of the new single, Yukio Tomioka nodded repeatedly. Kimura's idea was indeed very good. He agreed and said, "Kimura-san's idea is excellent. In addition, releasing another inspirational single also shows that Kimura-san has not forgotten his original intention and has not forgotten the creations he made when he debuted. This is very suitable as a promotional point. Terabayashi-san and I will discuss how to promote it."

As expected of a seasoned veteran in the entertainment industry, Tomioka immediately grasped a promotional angle from Kimura Hiroshi's words. Kimura Hiroshi naturally wouldn't object to such promotion, saying, "Mr. Tomioka, you can handle the promotion. Next, I'll talk about the arrangement requirements for this single. It's a light rock pop single, and I also want to try a new singing style..."

Although I know I am irreplaceable, I still need to try new things from time to time to maintain my popularity and keep my fans interested. This way, I can maintain their desire to buy and earn more money.

Just as Kimura Hiroshi was saying that Tomioka Yukio had requested the arrangement, Michiko suddenly rushed in from outside and said in a slightly flustered tone, "Kimura-san, Tomioka-san, it's an emergency! Tenko has passed away! NHK is broadcasting breaking news. You can see it if you turn on the TV."

After he finished speaking, everyone in the office had a rapidly changing expression. Everyone looked rather grim, except for Kimura Hiroshi, who seemed quite relaxed and even a little happy. This old guy was finally dead. He had lived for so many more years; it was already unfair of God.

However, others did not share his sentiment. Yukio Tomioka reacted the fastest, immediately saying, "Quick, turn on the TV and watch the NHK news."

There was also a TV in the office so that they could watch the TV programs they needed to follow. The assistant next to him reacted very quickly and immediately stepped forward to press the power button on the TV. He originally wanted to switch to NHK, but as soon as he turned it on, he found that the breaking news about Tenhiro's death was already being broadcast.

Although news of Tengu's serious illness had spread since September of last year, and everyone in Japan knew he might not make it, otherwise there wouldn't have been such news of his serious illness or the so-called self-restraint. Now that Tengu has actually passed away, the people in the office are still quite shocked.

"He really passed away. What should we do next? What impact will this have on us?" Upon confirming the news, Yukio Tomioka's first thought was about the impact of the Emperor's death on them, as it was undoubtedly a momentous event in Japan.

No one could answer this question. No one knew what would happen next, so they could only look at each other in silence. However, Kimura Hiroshi was not among them. He said, "Just continue as usual. The previous serious illness did not have a big impact. So what if he dies now? Just continue as usual. But we should also be careful with our words to avoid giving anyone a handle to use against us."

These are special times, and the most important thing to be careful about is what you say. Don't say anything carelessly, lest the media find something to use against you. You should know that the Japanese media are quite good at talking nonsense and can twist your words into something completely unbelievable. So, the best thing to do right now is to keep quiet.

Previously, Hiroshi Kimura had said he wouldn't self-isolate, and now he predicted that Tenko's death wouldn't have any impact. Yukio Tomioka instinctively believed him and said, "Kimura-san's predictions have always been very accurate. This time, I don't think there will be any major problems. So let's continue working according to the original plan."

Although that's what they say, the constant broadcasting of this news on TV still had a significant impact on everyone's work performance. Kimura Hiroshi noticed something was wrong and turned off the TV, but even so, the atmosphere in the office was still somewhat oppressive.

After finally finishing the work discussion, Kimura Hiroshi left the office. He didn't have the same dull feeling as these people; on the contrary, he was quite happy, but he couldn't show it. Naturally, he didn't want to stay with these gloomy guys.

Even after leaving the office, I couldn't escape this atmosphere, because the news had spread thoroughly through television media, and now probably everyone in Japan knew about it; people outside and on the radio were talking about it.

Feeling this atmosphere, Kimura Hiroshi inexplicably thought of Nakamori Akina, because he had once seen an analysis of the Golden Screen incident, which was that because of the Emperor's death, the overall social atmosphere in Japan was quite gloomy, so entertainment reporters began to frantically dig up gossip in the entertainment industry to divert public attention.

As a result, Akina Nakamori, a former top celebrity, became one of the victims. The media's frenzied reporting provided the public with something to watch and diverted their attention, which naturally caused Akina Nakamori unspeakable harm. However, neither the media nor the public cared about this; they only wanted to watch the spectacle.

Thinking of this, Kimura Hiroshi's mood also soured, and he couldn't help but curse, "He's really a menace. Even in death, he'll still cause trouble. He's fucking awful."

Now that he's in this world, he naturally won't let that happen. Those despicable media outlets can go find someone else if they want. If they still want to mess with him and Akina Nakamori, he'll definitely let them know why the flowers are so red.

Thinking about this, Kimura Hiroshi inexplicably missed Nakamori Akina. They had only separated yesterday morning, which was really strange.

Unable to suppress his longing, Kimura Hiroshi returned to his agency and made a phone call to TV Tokyo, because Nakamori Akina was recording a program there today. However, when he called, the staff there informed him that the recording had just been postponed and all the artists involved had returned home.

"It's been postponed? It seems to be due to the impact of Tenko's passing. The TV stations are probably all reporting on this now, which will likely affect the program's schedule, so they've decided to postpone the recording." Kimura Hiroshi roughly guessed what was going on.

This made him less anxious. The recording of the program was postponed, so Nakamori Akina should be going back to the agency soon. He didn't know if they would arrange other things or let her rest.

Having finally gotten a half-day off, Kimura Hiroshi didn't want Nakamori Akina to do any more work, so he went straight to Hanami Kagami's office.

At this moment, Hanami Kaku was watching the news on the small TV on his desk in his office. He seemed a little absent-minded, as if he was also quite shocked by the news of Tenko's death.

Seeing Kimura Hiroshi enter, he quickly composed himself, turned off the television, and said, "Isn't this Kimura-san? It's been a long time since I've seen you in my office. Is there something important that brings you here today?"

Standing in front of Hanami Kaku's desk, Kimura Hiroshi said, "President, you should have seen the news of Tenko's passing. Don't worry, it shouldn't have a big impact on our work or the agency's profits. However, it might affect the broadcast of some programs in the next couple of days."

"I know, my previous serious illness didn't have any effect, and now that I'm dead, it won't have any effect either. I'm just a little sad. An era of Japan has come to an end, and I'm getting old too. Sigh, why am I talking to a young person like you about this? Tell me, what do you want to see me about?" Hanami Kagami felt that it was superfluous for him to be sentimental in front of Kimura Hiroshi.

He is indeed getting old, and in a few years, Ken-On will be taken over by Nozaki Toshio's son. But that's not what Kimura Hiroshi came to talk about today.

He began, "I do need to speak with you, President. I just called TV Tokyo, and Akina-san's recording has been postponed. She should be back soon, so I wanted to ask you for leave on her behalf. I'd like to go out with her for a while this afternoon. Is that alright, President?"

This request left Hanami Kagami speechless. She couldn't help but roll her eyes and said rather unhappily, "You just came back from your New Year's holiday and you want to take leave again? Isn't Kimura-san being a little too much?"

"Ah, it's true that the New Year holiday hasn't been long, but I've been quite busy and tired these past few days. Akina-san doesn't get back until around 11 or 12 every night, which is too tiring. So, how about I take half a day off? I don't know when I'll have time to rest again. How about this, I'll write another single for Noriko-chan in exchange for half a day off?" It seems that asking for leave directly won't work, so I can only resort to a trade.

Noriko Sakai is currently a key idol being groomed by Ken-On, because Hanami Kagami has clearly sensed that Akina Nakamori's mind is no longer on her career. In this state, he doesn't know when Akina Nakamori will suddenly announce her marriage. Therefore, Ken-On naturally wants to focus on grooming Noriko Sakai, a successor whose style is completely different from Akina Nakamori's.

Noriko Sakai has gained some popularity, but unlike Akina Nakamori, her characteristics are not as prominent, and she doesn't have the same talent as Nakamori. She is still striving to become a top idol, unlike Nakamori, whose second single propelled her to that position. At this crucial time, any support is very important, let alone a super supporter like Hiroshi Kimura.

So Hanami's displeasure immediately vanished, replaced by a surge of joy. However, he couldn't show it at this moment, as that would be too embarrassing. So, with a straight face, he sighed and said, "Alright, I agree. I'll give Akina-san half a day off. After all, this is a crucial period for Noriko-chan's rise to power."

He sounded like he was in a difficult position, but Kimura Hiroshi knew perfectly well that Hanami Kagami had actually gotten a great deal. However, he wouldn't reveal it. Instead, he happily said, "Then thank you, President, for giving Akina and me the opportunity to enjoy a half-day holiday. As for the single, I'll have Mr. Tomioka send it over in a few days. I guarantee it will be a high-quality single."

Having secured leave, Kimura Hiroshi didn't linger at Tomioka Yukio's place. Instead, he went to wait outside Nakamori Akina's office at Ken-on. A short while later, he saw Akira Yoshizawa and Ms. Noriko returning with Nakamori Akina.

"Kimura-san, what are you doing here?" Nakamori Akina asked, somewhat puzzled.

Without answering her question, Kimura Hiroshi grabbed her hand and said to Akiyuki Yoshizawa, "Mr. Akiyuki, the president has granted Akina-san a half-day off, so she doesn't need to work this afternoon. We'll be leaving now."

Before they could react, he grabbed Nakamori Akina and ran off.