My daily life with the original diva

Chapter 530 Half-day Holiday

It wasn't until Kimura Hiro pulled her into the car in the parking lot that Nakamori Akina realized what had happened. She was still a little dazed by Kimura Hiro's sudden departure and didn't quite understand what was going on.

"Hiro-kun, what's going on? Why do I have a day off this afternoon? Although the recording of the program was temporarily suspended, I still have other work to do this afternoon. Mr. Akiyuki has already arranged for me to go to Warner to prepare for the new single. Why did the president suddenly give me a day off?" Nakamori Akina clearly remembered what Kimura Hiro had said at the agency. She was just a little confused as to why the president, Hanami Kaku, had suddenly given her half a day off.

With a slight smile, Kimura Hiroshi said mysteriously, "Akina's boyfriend naturally has a way. I just talked to the president and he agreed. Ah, we finally get a half-day off, so let's make good use of it. Where do you think we should go?"

It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision, and Kimura Hiroshi really hadn't figured out where to take Nakamori Akina. This gave him a bit of a headache, and he needed to think it over carefully so as not to waste this half-day.

What does it mean that the president agreed after just a brief conversation? Nakamori Akina probably guessed that Kimura Hiroshi must have learned that her program was canceled at the last minute, and then went to talk to the president, who agreed to let her rest for half a day.

Since it was her brother Hongjun who had gone to great lengths to secure a half-day off for her, Nakamori Akina didn't want to waste it. After thinking carefully about where she should go for the half-day, she quickly came up with a place to go.

“Ah, how about going to Ueno Zoo? Hong-kun has always been very interested in Chinese culture, and you even said that your favorite animal is the panda. I heard that Lan Lan, the panda on loan to Ueno Zoo, gave birth to her second cub, and they’re having a public meet-and-greet right now. How about we go check it out together?” Nakamori Akina said, her eyes sparkling.

She knew that Kimura Hiroshi had a peculiar feeling towards that great country across the sea. When he was in his apartment, he would often hum Chinese songs that she couldn't quite understand. The melodies were beautiful, but she couldn't understand the lyrics. She had tried to learn Chinese, but she was just not cut out for it. She would always learn three sentences and forget two.

He was surprised that Nakamori Akina remembered what he had just said casually. So he naturally wouldn't let Nakamori Akina down and happily replied, "Hmm, that's a great choice. Perfect timing! Let's go to Ueno Zoo to see the pandas. My camera is in the car, so if we have a chance later, I'll take a picture of Akina with the pandas."

"Hmm, hmm, I haven't seen the cute pandas yet, let's take more pictures, and Hiro-kun can take some too." Nakamori Akina was clearly interested and said with a hint of excitement.

Having decided on his destination, Hiroshi Kimura naturally wasted no time and drove towards Taito Ward. Ueno Zoo, located in Taito Ward of Tokyo, is a very famous large zoo in Japan, home to a wide variety of animals, of course, the panda is very famous among them.

There were fewer cars on the road today than usual, which made Kimura Hiroshi's drive exceptionally smooth, without the usual traffic jams. After driving for about half an hour, they finally arrived near Ueno Zoo. The two parked the car, ate something nearby, and then took their cameras and went into Ueno Zoo.

Similarly, compared to usual, there were far fewer people at Ueno Zoo today, with only a few adults with children visiting. This made it easier for Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori, who simply disguised themselves and began touring the zoo.

As someone who loves small animals, Akina Nakamori is very interested in all kinds of animals, running back and forth and watching them.

It must be said that Ueno Zoo, as a well-known zoo in Japan, has a very rich variety of animals, including giraffes, rhinos, and so on, which made Akina Nakamori exclaim in surprise.

Kimura Hiroshi originally wanted to look for alpacas so he could lure Nakamori Akina over and have them spit on her to tease her, but he found that there were none at all. It was clear that the Japanese didn't have any particular interest in alpacas.

Along the way, they would buy some food from the zoo to feed the animals and take some photos, which made Akina Nakamori extremely happy. Before they even reached the panda enclosure, they had already spent more than an hour wandering around outside, and Akina Nakamori wanted to see every single animal.

After seeing all the other animals, they arrived at the panda enclosure. However, when they arrived, they were both stunned. Although Ueno Zoo takes good care of the other animals, they were still shocked when they arrived at the panda enclosure because it was a separate building with panda-related decorations everywhere.

Unlike other animal areas where visitors can freely tour, there is a queue in front of the panda enclosure. Kimura Hiroshi saw a long queue at the entrance, making it quite lively compared to other places.

"I never expected that the Japanese would like pandas so much at this time of year. And the living environment here is worlds apart from that of other animals," Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but sigh softly.

He knew that the Japanese people of later generations had a special fondness for pandas, but he didn't expect it to start at this time. That makes sense, as many Japanese anime feature pandas, which shows their unique fondness for this animal.

"Wow, the pandas live in this enclosure? That's so luxurious! The other animals live in the open air." Akina Nakamori was also a little surprised that the pandas received such treatment.

Luxury? Kimura Hiroshi couldn't possibly agree. You see, in later years, a certain oil company had a 120,000-square-meter enclosure for pandas, which was comparable to the entire Ueno Zoo. It had everything: bedrooms, exhibits, exercise areas, medical areas, and so on, as well as a specially equipped medical team. The current facilities are just a drop in the ocean.

There was no way to explain it, so Kimura Hiroshi took Nakamori Akina's hand and said, "Whether it's luxurious or not, we're here to see the pandas. Let's hurry up and get in line. Seeing the pandas is our main purpose, isn't it?"

"Okay, let's go in quickly then." Nakamori Akina and Kimura Hiroshi held hands and stood in line.

Ueno Zoo is incredibly dedicated to its pandas, having built a complete panda enclosure. There are limits on the number of people allowed in each time to prevent overcrowding and noise that could disturb the pandas. In addition, the various panda-themed merchandise inside is exquisitely made and quite expensive, but there are still many people who buy it. In the bubble economy era, even if it was expensive, people didn't care much.

Fortunately, due to the news of Tianhuang's passing, there weren't many people at the zoo today. The two of them didn't have to wait in line for long before they got in. There was a red panda exhibit today, which they could only see through a glass wall. Inside were the panda mother Lanlan and her cub, two round, black and white creatures that captivated the Japanese visitors, who were all shouting "Kawaii!"

Even Akina Nakamori was captivated by this adorable little creature. Watching the tiny, furry panda cub follow its mother around for food, the light in its eyes told everyone how much she loved it.

"Kawaii, so cute, Hiro-kun! No wonder everyone loves it so much. I love it too! Oh, it fell down, haha." Nakamori Akina laughed happily as she watched the little panda chase its mother and accidentally fall.

"Aren't they cute? Would you like to touch them, Akina?" Kimura Hiroshi asked, noticing how much Akina Mori liked them.

Akina Nakamori, who had been staring intently at the panda, immediately turned around upon hearing Hiroshi Kimura's words and asked hopefully, "Can we touch it? No way, they protect the pandas so well, they definitely won't let us touch them."

"You definitely can't touch them here. You have to go to their hometown to have a chance. I remember that back then, foreign friends could visit the conservation base and get up close to them." Kimura Hiroshi said, stroking his chin. Although pandas were well protected back then, it wasn't as strict as it is now. Many foreign celebrities could visit and, if they applied, touch panda cubs. These two could be considered foreign celebrities, right?

"Oh, really? If it's possible, I'd like to go, but it seems I don't have time right now." Thinking of this, Nakamori Akina felt a little disappointed.

Kimura Hiroshi patted Nakamori Akina's head and promised, "I will definitely take you there in the future, Akina. We just need to arrange a time. As for now, we can take some photos and buy some plush toys to touch. How about that?"

"Of course you can, but I've remembered Hong-kun's promise. You have to take me there sometime. Now, let's take some pictures quickly, because the tour time is almost over. I also heard that these guys love to sleep. If they fall asleep, we won't be able to take any cute pictures." Nakamori Akina said anxiously.

Kimura Hiro quickly grabbed his camera and started taking pictures of Nakamori Akina. To get a better photo with the panda, she even took off her glasses. Kimura Hiro did the same, and they took a photo together, cheek to cheek, with Nakamori Akina.

Fortunately, most people in the panda enclosure were focused on the pandas and didn't pay much attention to the people around them. Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina quickly finished taking photos and put on their sunglasses, and surprisingly, they weren't recognized.

Soon, the time limit for the visit was up. Although she wanted to take a few more peeks, she had to leave within the allotted time. Nakamori Akina reluctantly left and then went to a nearby shop to buy several very expensive panda plush toys. Since there were no real pandas to see, she decided to look at the panda plush toys first.

After seeing the pandas, the two went to the aquarium. They wandered around until after 5 p.m., and it was getting dark before they finally left Ueno Zoo. They had spent the whole afternoon there.

After visiting so many places, Hiroshi Kimura seemed a bit tired, but Akina Nakamori still looked energetic, especially since she was holding a panda plush toy and seemed very happy.

"Ah, I've been looking at this all afternoon, it must be exhausting. Well, it's time to head back now, I need to get some rest." Before even starting the car, Kimura Hiroshi stretched and said.

Holding a plush toy in her arms, Akina Nakamori looked at Hiro Kimura's tired appearance, suddenly sat up halfway, kissed him on the cheek, and said sweetly, "Thank you for your hard work, Hiro-kun. You came to Ueno Zoo with me today and we saw so many cute animals, especially the pandas. I'm so happy to see such adorable creatures. Thank you so much."

He never expected to be suddenly attacked by Akina Nakamori. How annoying! He said with a grin, "This is not enough. If Akina is sincere, it would be best to give her more rewards."

Seeing Kimura Hiroshi's sly look, Nakamori Akina knew exactly what he was thinking. She immediately turned her head away and said, "Hmph, I knew Hiroshi-kun was full of bad ideas. This is all the reward for today. It's only for the sake of the cute panda. There won't be anything else."

"Oh, is that so? Well then, I really have to thank this adorable guy. Okay, let's go have dinner. We'll go back after we eat. We had so much fun today, we deserve a big meal." Kimura Hiroshi said, pinching the panda ears in Nakamori Akina's arms.

Leaving Ueno Zoo, I drove towards my apartment. The traffic was as heavy as usual that evening. However, when I arrived at a high-end restaurant that I frequented, I noticed that there were just as many customers as usual.

As Kimura Hiroshi passed by the restaurant's public dining area, he heard many people discussing the most significant event of the day: the Emperor's death.

Most of these people didn't seem to care about the so-called death of the Emperor. Some even laughed when they talked about it. They didn't have any reverence for the so-called Emperor. Instead, some people were worried that the Emperor's death might affect the current economy and bring uncertainty to their businesses.

If Kimura Hiroshi were at their dinner party, he would definitely mention that this matter has absolutely no impact on the economy, because this year will be the time when the bubble continues to rise and inflate to its maximum. What they should be worried about is who will take over the bubble after it has expanded so much, since everyone in Japan, whether it is a large corporation or an individual, is investing like crazy and no one has any spare money.

In the private room, Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina enjoyed a sumptuous dinner, which was a perfect ending to their half-day holiday. Then they drove back to their apartment. However, contrary to Kimura Hiroshi's expectations, Nakamori Akina said that the reward would be a kiss, but when they got back to the apartment, she gave them everything she was supposed to, and even more than she was supposed to.

This extra reward was too much for Kimura Hiroshi, who had been running around all day. He fell asleep shortly after receiving the reward, and it was a particularly sweet sleep.

Chapter 531 Things Have Changed

When Kimura Hiroshi woke up the next morning, he found that every media outlet, whether television, radio, or print, was reporting on Tenko's death. With such a large-scale media coverage, the entire country of Japan was plunged into an atmosphere of grief.

That's not all. Various TV stations began to adjust their programming, with many entertainment programs temporarily suspended, mostly for two days to a week. NHK, as the official TV station, suspended its entertainment programs for the longest period, up to a week, while others only suspended them for two or three days.

This has thrown the artists, whose work schedules were already arranged, into a flurry of activity. Their jobs, which were previously planned, now need to be rearranged, meaning they can forget about recording shows or promoting new songs or movies.

However, the Japanese stock market and real estate market were completely unaffected by the news and continued to rise the next day. This relieved many Japanese people, as many had invested their entire fortunes and the market would have been devastated if it had fallen.

Fortunately, these restrictions did not last long. After two or three days, the various TV stations began to return to normal. As private TV stations, they all need to make money. Can they make money by reporting on the death of the emperor every day? Of course not. The death of the emperor is not as important as the money in their own hands.

As the shows resumed, the artists' work naturally returned to normal, and they even became busier, as they had to make up for all the work they had missed.

Kimura Hiroshi, who hasn't needed to appear on TV much lately, wasn't affected. He continued preparing for his new single as usual. However, while he was busy arranging the music, Toho contacted him and asked him to supervise the set construction for "Triangle".

It has to be said that Toho really went all out this time, even finding a yacht that had stopped sailing to build the set. This generous spending is absolutely unimaginable in an era where Japanese films are mostly low-budget, and even Hiroshi Kimura had to express his admiration.

As a result, at the beginning of this year, Hiroshi Kimura had to juggle work on two fronts: recording a new single at Warner Music while frequently traveling to Minato Ward to oversee the construction of movie sets, which was quite a demanding task.

Fortunately, this period of time did not last long. By February, Hiroshi Kimura had completed the recording of his new single and entered the production and promotion phase of the new single. He also began to visit the film set less often, because after he had determined the general framework in the early stages, all that was left was construction. He only needed to check on the results every now and then.

He began to focus most of his attention on promoting his new single.

"I'm going to be serious about singing this year, not just playing around like I was the past two years. I just don't know if my new rivals are ready to welcome my comeback?" Hiroshi Kimura said with a hint of seriousness at the promotional meeting for his new single.

Upon hearing this statement, Terabayashi Akira, who was in charge of publicity, sighed and said, "Kimura-san, do you have any rivals in the music scene now? The only person who can be called your rival probably doesn't want to be your rival. She'd rather call you Hiro-kun every day."

These words immediately caused everyone in the meeting room to chuckle, because this opponent was none other than Nakamori Akina, who was currently the only person who could be considered a match for Kimura Hiroshi.

The Japanese music scene is still dominated by idol singers, but many newcomers have emerged in the past few days, such as the four new first-tier kings: Shizuka Kudo, Yoko Minamino, Yui Asaka, and Miho Nakayama. There is also the female idol group WINK, and on the male idol side, there is Hikaru Genji from Johnny's Entertainment and the male Kankokugumi.

However, the phenomenon of idols dominating the charts has begun to loosen. At the beginning of this year, Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori did not release any new singles. The top spot was consistently occupied by rock folk singer Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, whose new rock folk single "Dragonfly" was particularly popular. This single also tells the story of the confusion of the new urban population.

Other singer-songwriters also began to emerge, such as Mimi Club, and Tetsuya Komuro, who could be said to have dominated half of the 1990s, also began to appear in the music scene, showing his Komuro style and becoming quite popular in the market.

However, none of these newcomers have been able to completely dominate the music scene like Seiko Matsuda, Akina Nakamori, and Hiroshi Kimura did back then, completely suppressing all other singers. Even if some occasionally emerge, it's only with one or two songs, and there are almost none who want to compete for a long time.

Today, Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori are not only top-tier singers, but also arguably the two most disliked singers or couples in the entire music industry. This is because they have dominated this top position for too many years, making it impossible for other singers to challenge their status. Therefore, there are quite a few complaints about them.

There are already rumors circulating among many singers that perhaps only after the two of them get married will other singers have a chance to rise to prominence.

Kimura Hiroshi didn't seem to care much about Terabayashi Akira's teasing, but said with a sigh, "There really aren't any strong opponents. It's quite boring. Those familiar old friends are starting to disappear one by one. Japanese fans really are fickle."

Popular singers who once shared the stage with Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori, such as Kyoko Koizumi, Checkers, Onyanko Club, Yu Hayami, Seiko Matsuda, etc., seem to have seen their popularity decline by more than half, and we no longer see any hit singles from them.

This also made Kimura Hiroshi quite emotional, after all, many of these people were their contemporaries, and they have all retired from the ranks of popular singers. Looking at these newcomers now, it always makes people feel a little uneasy.

"The market always favors newcomers, but Kimura-san and Akina-san are exceptions. They've been around for so many years, and their popularity is still so high, and their records still sell very well. They can be described as miracles." Yukio Tomioka couldn't help but flatter Hiroshi Kimura as he listened to his words.

However, Hiroshi Kimura was not happy about this flattery, because he knew that he would not be able to maintain such high popularity sooner or later. He would continue to be popular in the future, but it would probably be impossible to maintain the current status. He had long been prepared for this.

"It will all become outdated sooner or later, so everyone here should be prepared. Perhaps it will happen in the not-too-distant future," Kimura Hiroshi said thoughtfully.

Chapter 532 If it doesn't work out, let's break up.

Just as Hiroshi Kimura was about to start promoting his new single in late February, Akina Nakamori, the only woman who could be considered his rival, released her first single of the year on February 19th.

Last year, Akina Nakamori released three singles produced by Hiroshi Kimura. Naturally, it's impossible to continue doing so this year. Even though Akina Nakamori is a top-tier singer with immense popularity, and Hiroshi Kimura's singles are diverse in style and of excellent quality, if the two continue to collaborate, fans and music lovers will feel aesthetically fatigued. Therefore, they need to collaborate with other creators.

For her first single of the new year, Akina Nakamori chose her old friend Yosui Inoue as her partner. The two have collaborated many times before, and this time the single is a previously released track from Yosui Inoue's 1973 album, "Towards Dreams".

This is an old song, a single chosen by Yosui Inoue in collaboration with the TV drama "Shonan Monogatari". Originally, the single was intended to be sung by Yuki Saito, the lead actress of the drama, but if Akina Nakamori was willing to sing it, Yosui Inoue was naturally willing to give it to Akina Nakamori, and the TV station felt the same way.

So the theme song was ultimately given to Akina Nakamori. However, since it was an old song, it couldn't be released with the original arrangement. The single was rearranged and adopted the currently popular European dance music style, giving the whole single a relaxed and lively feeling.

To match this musical style, Akina Nakamori specially choreographed a light and somewhat quirky dance with her dance teacher. When she sang "Not Just Loneliness" before, Hiroshi Kimura taught her to dance this kind of dance, so she was quite familiar with it.

The top female singer promoted the song in conjunction with the TV drama. As soon as it was released, it immediately dethroned Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, who had been dominating the charts for the past few weeks, and took the top spot on the record sales chart. It sold 214,000 copies in the first week. This is the fifth consecutive year that Akina Nakamori's single has topped the sales charts in its first week since "Kita-Tsubasa" in 1984.

This dominance has left many newly emerging female singers feeling hopeless. This woman is too terrifying. Back then, Seiko Matsuda only reigned supreme for two or three years before her competitiveness waned. Akina Nakamori, on the other hand, has been at the top for five years now. Although her popularity seems to have plateaued recently, the plateau is so high that female singers feel it is difficult to surpass.

"Wow, Akina, another 200,000 copies sold! Number one on the sales charts again. No wonder she's a three-time champion." Backstage at Fuji TV's Night HIT program, Hiroshi Kimura looked at the latest record sales charts and said with a touch of emotion and pride.

His girlfriend is really amazing. Taking the top spot on the charts seems so easy for her, even though it's a single released in 1973.

"Yeah, she's amazing. Everyone says that only after she gets married will others have a chance to stand at the top. I wonder when Kimura-san plans to marry Akina-chan? You two have been dating for many years, haven't you?" A familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice rang in Kimura Hiroshi's ears, with a hint of resentment in its tone. Kimura Hiroshi turned his head and saw the very familiar woman, Matsuda Seiko.

Compared to a few years ago, Seiko Matsuda now exudes a more mature, womanly charm, with her wavy hair and neat bangs. However, her outfits for the shows haven't changed much; they're still the same sweet idol style she wore, with a touch of girlish pink. Unfortunately, no matter what she wears, it can't hide the fact that she's already a mother.

Unexpectedly, he would run into Seiko Matsuda on his first appearance on a TV show this year, and things started to feel a little off when he talked to her. Kimura Hiroshi became wary and asked with feigned surprise, "It's Seiko-chan! What brings you to Night HIT today? Didn't you say you were going to America?"

Although Seiko Matsuda made a comeback immediately after getting married and having children, and even used the label of "mom idol," it did have some effect at first. However, her popularity and record sales quickly began to decline, and in the last two years, she has become no different from a second-rate idol.

Under these circumstances, Seiko Matsuda accepted the advice of her agency and manager to develop the America market. In the past two years, she has appeared on fewer and fewer Japanese programs, and Hiroshi Kimura has also appeared on fewer programs in the past two years, so the two of them have met very rarely.

With so few opportunities to meet, Matsuda Seiko had barely spoken to him, only exchanging greetings. But unexpectedly, after almost half a year apart, she took the initiative to talk to him, and her tone seemed rather strange.

"The America market isn't so easy to develop. In order not to really become obsolete, we still need to continue to work hard in the domestic market. On the other hand, I often hear rumors about Kimura-san in America. Kimura-san is actually a very famous creator in America. It's surprising that no one in Japan knows this." Speaking of this, Seiko Matsuda also looked surprised.