My daily life with the original diva

As a long-running live broadcast with a large number of participants, rehearsals also require a long period of time. Rehearsals began in early December and were conducted in five rounds to ensure that no accidents would occur during the live broadcast.

Hiroshi Kimura originally had the opportunity to participate, but there is an unwritten rule for the Kohaku Uta Gassen that newcomers generally cannot participate, but there are exceptions, namely, if you are famous enough and have made great contributions to NHK.

Hiroshi Kimura was certainly famous enough, but unfortunately, he made virtually no contribution to NHK radio and appeared on very few television programs, which is why he was eliminated during the selection process.

Akina Nakamori was very happy to participate in the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) for the first time, as it was an affirmation of her singing career of more than a year.

The first rehearsal doesn't actually involve much; it mainly involves determining the singers' performance order, selecting opponents, and attending a preparatory meeting. The actual stage rehearsal will have to wait until the second rehearsal a few days later.

The atmosphere was quite relaxed at first, but as the morning approached, it began to change. It seemed that something big had happened, and everyone gathered in their own small circles to discuss it, occasionally glancing at the rather lonely Nakamori Akina.

The perceptive Nakamori Akina could not possibly fail to sense the change in atmosphere. She knew something must have happened, but instead of asking those she wasn't very familiar with, she called over her assistant, Ms. Noriko, who was waiting for her, and asked her to go and see what was going on.

Not long after she left, Ms. Noriko returned with a grave expression, accompanied by her manager, Akiyuki Yoshizawa, who also had a somber look on his face.

"What happened, Mr. Akio?" Nakamori Akina asked in a very low voice.

This kind of thing can't be kept secret. Akira Yoshizawa handed the Weekly Bunshun magazine he had obtained to Akina Nakamori and said, "When you go out later, there will definitely be reporters blocking your way. Remember, don't say anything, just get in the car and leave."

With such a huge incident, Ken-on doesn't even know if he can protect Kimura Hiroshi, so they absolutely cannot allow anything else to happen to Nakamori Akina. Therefore, what they need to do is ensure that Nakamori Akina has no connection with this matter and that it will not affect her.

When Akina Nakamori looked down at the magazine, she saw the headline about Hiroshi Kimura. Her complexion worsened, and she even became pale. She had only read less than half of it when she slammed the magazine shut and gripped it tightly.

"Why do these reporters love to tell such lies and cause trouble for everyone? This time, they've caused Kimura-san so much trouble. It's really too much." Nakamori Akina didn't believe the magazine's report at all; she had 100% trust in Kimura Hiroshi.

Compared to Nakamori Akina's absolute trust, Akiyuki Yoshizawa didn't have as much confidence in Kimura Hirokazu. He had witnessed the boy's excessively intelligent mind and realized he wasn't as simple and kind as he seemed. Moreover, Weekly Bunshun never made baseless accusations; there was probably something going on, and many of the things he said were likely true, otherwise things wouldn't have escalated to this point.

But none of this had anything to do with Nakamori Akina. All he wanted to do was keep Nakamori Akina out of the picture, so he said sternly, "Whether these reports are true or false, Akina, you are not allowed to say a word. Absolutely not, understand?"

At this moment, Akina Nakamori was not listening to what Yoshizawa Akira was saying at all. Her mind was full of worry about Hiroshi Kimura, wondering how he was doing, whether he was sad, and whether he needed someone to accompany him.

"Is Kimura-san still at the office? When does the rehearsal end?" Nakamori Akina wanted to finish the rehearsal as soon as possible so she could go to Kimura Hiroshi's side, even if it was just to say a few words to him.

Seeing that Akina Nakamori was completely ignoring his words, Yoshizawa Akiyuki felt helpless, but he still said firmly, "You can't see him now, at least not for the time being. After the rehearsal, I'll take you home to rest."

"No, I'm going to the agency." Nakamori Akina was also very firm. She stared intently at Akiyuki Yoshizawa, her meaning clear: she had made up her mind and was going no matter what.

Having worked together for so long, Akiyuki Yoshizawa was very familiar with Nakamori Akina's personality and knew that continuing to be so stubborn would not end well.

So he changed his strategy and said, “What you’re doing won’t help him. Kimura-san is going to hold a press conference in two days to explain what happened today. He needs a big shot to witness it, but no one is willing to help him in this situation. You and Inoue-san have such a good relationship, why don’t you go and visit him and see if you can get him to attend?”

This is a way to divert Akina Nakamori's attention without making her resistant, since doing so can also help Hiroshi Kimura.

Hearing what Akiyuki Yoshizawa said, Nakamori Akina's expression became even more serious. In fact, her relationship with Inoue Yosui was not very deep. At most, it was a senior's appreciation for a junior. Last year, when she released the single "Girl A", Inoue Yosui thought she was very special, so he invited her to co-star. The two had some acquaintance, but it was not a good relationship at all.

She disliked troubling others, let alone such a senior figure, but the thought of being able to help Kimura Hiroshi made her determined. "In that case, we'll visit Mr. Inoue after we're done and ask him to attend the press conference and be a witness."

Having finally managed to appease this troublesome woman, Akiyuki Yoshizawa breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's it. Now, please rehearse seriously. This is your first time participating in the Kohaku Uta Gassen, so it's very important to you. You absolutely cannot make any mistakes, understand?"

“I know, Mr. Akira,” Akina Nakamori replied calmly.

Chapter Sixty-Two: You're Just a Clown

During the rehearsal, Nakamori Akina didn't hear a single word the TV station staff said. She sat there quietly, thinking about what she should say to Inoue-senpai later to get him to agree to attend Kimura-san's press conference. Fortunately, her assistant, Ms. Noriko, diligently completed her work and wrote down everything that needed to be noted.

After the first rehearsal meeting finally ended, Nakamori Akina hurriedly took Akiyuki Yoshizawa to find Inoue Yosui. Knowing that there might be reporters outside, Tomioka Yukio even borrowed a few staff members from the TV station to prevent them from being surrounded by reporters.

They didn't use the artist-only exit, but instead went out through the staff exit, where there was almost no one, thus avoiding reporters as much as possible.

But when they entered the passage, they found someone there, the very person that Akina Nakamori least wanted to see: Masahiko Kondo. Although he had caused such a big incident at the end of the year and was already irreversibly on the verge of fading into obscurity, Johnny's Entertainment still used its resources to push him onto this year's Kohaku Uta Gassen.

Upon seeing him, Akina Nakamori wanted to walk straight past him without saying a word. This was her most common tactic when facing someone she didn't like: ignoring and distancing herself.

"Isn't it impolite to just leave after meeting a familiar senior like this, Akina-chan?" Kondo Masahiko suddenly spoke up as he watched the group pass by.

However, Akina Nakamori still didn't say anything and continued walking forward.

Seeing her like this, Kondo Masahiko panicked. He stood there to watch this ungrateful woman make a fool of herself. She had desperately protected that kid back then, and now look what happened, that kid is doomed.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, didn't you hear me? Ah, didn't you say that kid named Kimura Hiroshi wrote all his own songs? What's the result now? Miss Akina, are you really blind to have fallen for such a despicable kid?" Completely disregarding the TV station staff present, Kondo Masahiko uttered vile words, leaving the staff stunned.

There have been rumors for a while that this male idol isn't as sunny as people imagine, and it turns out it's true. He actually said such things in front of so many people.

Nakamori Akina, who had originally intended to ignore him and continue walking forward, stopped. She suddenly turned around and tried to walk towards Kondo Masahiko. Akira Yoshizawa knew that something was wrong and that this girl was about to explode, so he quickly reached out and grabbed her arm, but Nakamori Akina struggled to break free.

"Hold her, Ms. Noriko." He couldn't hug Nakamori Akina directly, but it seemed he couldn't stop her by holding her hand, so he quickly had Noriko hug Nakamori Akina's waist and drag her outside.

Akina Nakamori, who had been stopped, stared intently at Masahiko Kondo and said loudly, "How Kimura-san is is not for you to judge. Take care of yourself, Mr. Kondo. You are like a ridiculous clown who only talks badly about others behind their backs."

He had never seen Akina Nakamori like this before, not even Yoshizawa Akiyuki. Although the two of them had once fought over business issues, he had never seen Akina Nakamori so fiery over personal matters.

Kondo Masahiko was stunned. He had never seen Nakamori Akina act like this before. In his eyes, Nakamori Akina was always so gentle and weak. Even when others spoke ill of her, she never refuted them. Now, not only did she refute them, but she also cursed him back and even looked like she wanted to hit him.

If Masahiko Kondo had come today to say something in support of Hiroshi Kimura, Akina Nakamori might have forgiven his previous scheming and hype, and the two could still be friends. But unexpectedly, he came to mock Hiroshi Kimura, which immediately crossed Akina Nakamori's bottom line, causing her to lose her temper over a private matter, which is rare for her.

Fearing a bigger conflict between the two, Akiyuki Yoshizawa and Ms. Noriko practically dragged Nakamori Akina out of the passage.

"Calm down, calm down, Akina-san, we have more important things to do." Akiyuki Yoshizawa didn't want anything to go wrong at this time and just wanted to calm Nakamori Akina down as soon as possible.

After listening to Akiyuki Yoshizawa's words, it took Nakamori Akina a while to calm down. She nodded to indicate that she understood.

"Don't be so impulsive, Akina-san. If you encounter reporters later and they say something nasty, even if you can't help it, don't say anything. If you anger the media now, Kimura-san's situation will become even more difficult," Akiyuki Yoshizawa continued to instruct. He had realized that Kimura Hiroshi was now Nakamori Akina's Achilles' heel.

“I know, Mr. Akiyuki, I’m not angry.” Nakamori Akina resumed her celebrity tone, a soft and tender voice that indicated she was hiding her true feelings.

As expected, no reporters were encountered when they came out of the staff passage, and the group arrived at the parking lot without incident. However, they did not expect that there were reporters lying in ambush there as well.

These sharp-eyed guys immediately spotted Nakamori Akina as she emerged. Seeing that there was no way to avoid her, Akiyuki Yoshizawa had no choice but to have someone escort Nakamori Akina to the car.

But the reporters almost completely surrounded them, each holding a microphone, and others were filming them with cameras and video recorders.

"Akina-chan, are you aware of the songwriting service for Kimura-san?"

"Akina-chan, what's your opinion on this matter? I heard you and Kimura-san have a good relationship. Will you sever ties with them in the future?"

"Akina-chan, what role did Ken-on play in this incident? Was the ghostwriting incident orchestrated by Ken-on?"

Faced with reporters' questions, Akina Nakamori remained silent. After all, it would be pointless for her to say anything at this point, and if her words were used by these annoying entertainment reporters, it would only make things more complicated.

After finally squeezing onto the bus, the reporters showed no sign of leaving. Instead, they clung to the bus, hoping that Akina Nakamori would say something.

It seemed they wouldn't be able to leave if things continued like this, so Akira Yoshizawa had no choice but to speak up. He said to the reporters, "Gentlemen, please don't block the way here. It will cause trouble for everyone. There will be a press conference about Kimura-san's matter in a couple of days, and everything will be explained then. Please do not block the road now."

After much persuasion and with the help of the TV station staff, the car finally left the parking lot, escaping those annoying entertainment reporters.

Akina Nakamori's eyes were red in the car, but she didn't cry. Instead, she said to Noriko, who was driving, "Noriko-san, please drive faster. I want to see Mr. Inoue as soon as possible. I can't just do nothing and watch them slander Kimura-san."

Noriko understood Nakamori Akina's feelings perfectly well and increased the car's speed. Akiyuki Yoshizawa, sitting next to her, looked at Nakamori Akina in this state and was somewhat speechless. When did that kid win Akina's heart? They didn't seem to have much contact. Why did she, as his manager, seem to know nothing about it?

Ms. Noriko was a very good driver. They overtook many cars along the way and soon arrived at the record company where Inoue Yosui worked. This record company, called For Life Records, was founded by Inoue Yosui and his friend Yoshida Takuro, among others.

After buying a gift at the nearby shopping mall, the three entered the company. After explaining their purpose to the receptionist, they were soon led inside.

"Akina-chan, I didn't expect you to come see me. It's such a surprise." Wearing sunglasses, Inoue Yosui was very happy to see Nakamori Akina. He had admired this young girl not long after Nakamori Akina's debut.

With a bow, Nakamori Akina presented the gift. Seeing Inoue Yosui's delighted expression, she felt a pang of sadness. She had finally managed to visit someone, only to find herself having to trouble them.

After sitting down and chatting for a while, Nakamori Akina explained her purpose. To everyone's surprise, Inoue Yosui agreed without hesitation, which far exceeded Nakamori Akina and Akiyuki Yoshizawa's expectations.

“Ah, I listened to those songs. Apart from that summer idol song, the other two are songs about striving for the future despite difficulties. They are very well written. The person who can write such songs would not do such a thing, so I am willing to attend.” Inoue Yosui said, seeing their surprised looks.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Inoue. On behalf of Kimura-san, I thank you." Nakamori Akina stood up excitedly and bowed repeatedly to Inoue Yosui in gratitude.

“No need for that, Akina-san. It’s his honor that you’ve taken a liking to that kid. I just hope he’s the kind of person you want him to be,” Inoue Yosui said with a teasing tone.

These words made Akina Nakamori blush instantly, and she couldn't say anything for a long time.

Chapter Sixty-Three: Must I Offer Myself in Repayment?

Although Ken-On announced that it would respond to the Weekly Bunshun's investigative report and hold a press conference two days later, the matter is still escalating.

With the year drawing to a close, such a big news story has emerged in the entertainment industry. How could the media possibly let it go? This is a great opportunity to boost their KPIs. They are reporting on it non-stop, just repeating the same thing over and over again, although they can't come up with anything new or interesting.

Many reporters also went to Kimura Hiroshi's hometown. Fortunately, the Kimura family was quite famous in the area and was not disturbed. However, Kimura Hiroshi's neighbors and classmates were not so lucky. They were surrounded and questioned, and the matter escalated.

By the second day, some people couldn't resist trying to gain attention. The first to do so were the small media outlets that had originally wanted to award Hiroshi Kimura, who stated that they absolutely could not accept the existence of ghostwriting and that they would never award Hiroshi Kimura.

Even the record awards had judges say they had removed Hiroshi Kimura from the Best Newcomer Award category to prevent controversy.

The Composers Association also stated that if this is true, they will blacklist Hiroshi Kimura, and no member of the Composers Association will be allowed to write songs for him.

The Japanese record awards, the highest honor in the Japanese music industry, and the Japanese Composers Association, the most authoritative organization in the Japanese music industry, both made statements, seemingly trying to completely smear Hiroshi Kimura.

However, these two most authoritative organizations did not completely rule out the possibility of the story being false. After all, they were also afraid that the story was fake. If they ruled it out in advance, and it turned out to be fake in the end, the damage to their reputation might be even more severe than that suffered by Kimura Hiroshi.

"Heh, these two big shots have both jumped out. Don't tell me there's no one pulling strings behind the scenes. Mr. President, you don't know who's behind this again, do you?" Kimura Hiroshi said with a sneer.

The record awards may seem authoritative, but in reality, there are many shady dealings behind the scenes. So-called judges can be bribed, and in later years, there have been frequent reports of award-buying scandals. These judges pretend to be virtuous and upright while doing despicable things behind the scenes for profit and so-called seniority.

I wonder if Mary, that old woman, will spend money to buy this award for her beloved Yan Yan a few years from now. However, given how quickly Kondo Masahiko has faded from the spotlight, the speed at which he buys the award will probably have to be brought forward, and it is very likely that it will coincide with the time when Nakamori Akina wins the award.

As for the Composers Association, as the initiator of the Grand Prize, if you say it's clean, only they themselves would believe that, since they're in cahoots.

However, these two usually act aloof and rarely comment on matters concerning celebrities. Their eagerness to speak out now must mean they've received substantial benefits.

"Kimura-san, I hope you die quite a few times. At least four major agencies are involved this time. If you don't handle it well, you might really have to say goodbye to the entertainment industry." This time, Hanami Hyuk didn't pretend to know nothing.

The matter escalated to such an extent that even the Sasakawa Group behind him couldn't help but get involved. Leveraging the group's influence, he received information at least a hundred times faster, but his abilities were also questioned. If this wasn't handled properly, he would definitely lose his position as president.

When Kimura Hiroshi heard that four major agencies wanted him to be completely kicked out of the entertainment industry, he was stunned. He had only offended Johnny's Entertainment, and he had no dealings with the other agencies. Why would they want to destroy him?

"You're too popular, Kimura-san. The market for male idols is being severely squeezed because of you. If you were removed, the remaining male idols would still have a chance to rise to the top," Yukio Tomioka added.

Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents; this principle applies worldwide. The Japanese are clearly even more ruthless. When they see that you seem to be failing, they are eager to completely destroy you, thinking that in this way, no one will block their path to wealth.

Kimura Hiroshi couldn't believe that so many people were jealous of him. The entertainment industry was truly terrifying and dark. He almost laughed. These guys thought they could make money by getting rid of him. How naive they were.

In the following years, without him, it was the era of female idols. Akina Nakamori, Seiko Matsuda, Kyoko Koizumi, Naoko Kawai, Onyanko Club, and Shizuka Kudo successively defeated male idols and even enka singers. Hokusai, Shonentai, and even the later Hikari-shiki who relied on selling sex appeal were all short-lived and simply unable to resist.

This situation will only change when the idol market completely declines and bands and rock music begin to rise. If you want to make money on your own, that's wishful thinking. You might as well learn from the disillusioned middle-aged man, Fat Qiu, and join a girl group.

But even if he told those firms, it wouldn't make a difference, because they simply wouldn't believe him; they just wanted to destroy their competitors.

"So many people want me dead. If I were to turn things around, wouldn't it be incredibly awkward if we met again?" Kimura Hiroshi joked.

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Hanami Kagami and Tomioka Yukio were both a little annoyed. After all, they had been worried sick for the past two days, but this guy acted like nothing was wrong, which made them really want to punch him to vent their anger.

After the joke, Hiroshi Kimura became serious and inquired about the preparations for the press conference: "Have you secured a live broadcast with the TV station? Are there any other important figures you can invite?"

"The television stations have all been contacted. Fuji Television, TV Tokyo, and TBS have all agreed to broadcast live for one hour at 9 PM. We have to thank Mr. Kimura and Toho Corporation for their connections. As for important figures, only Mr. Inoue Yosui was willing to attend as a witness. Ah, we also have to thank Ms. Akina. It was her personal visit that made this happen."

Yukio Tomioka explained the preparations for the press conference. A live broadcast on television was a must to ensure enough people could watch it and achieve a complete turnaround. However, getting major television stations to make time for a live broadcast was not an easy task.

Hiroshi Kimura promised that all his future films would be distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., which is why Toho agreed to do him this favor. He took a gamble; if it worked, everyone would be happy; if it didn't, it would just be a favor that Toho had done for him.