My daily life with the original diva

This is clearly sacrificing the interests of these artists to generate buzz for their own show. However, Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori are not much they can do about this situation. As artists, they naturally have to face such circumstances.

"Just be patient a little longer. It's already the 29th, and there's another day of rehearsal tomorrow. The live broadcast is on the 31st. After the broadcast, we'll personally tell them the definite news. If they keep bothering us, then we'll go on vacation in Europe. Anyway, we won't have any work then, so let's see where they go looking for us." Kimura Hiroshi revealed his plan to avoid the reporters: leave Japan and see where they go looking for them.

Hearing Kimura Hiroshi say this, Nakamori Akina immediately perked up and couldn't help but clap her hands and say, "Great, great, Hiroshi-kun is so thoughtful! Yes, let's go abroad and see where those annoying guys will look for us. Hehe, at least we can avoid those nasty people."

Akina Nakamori was clearly very satisfied with Hiroshi Kimura's arrangements, but after a moment's thought, she said, "Hiroshi-kun, it's too cold to go to Europe in winter. Last year when I went to England to film a program, it was extremely cold. So, let's go to Hawaii instead. That's the perfect winter vacation destination."

Clearly, Akina Nakamori has always longed for Hawaii; it's the place that's always on her mind when she goes on vacation.

“Going to Hawaii isn’t out of the question, but we were photographed by reporters when we went there last time. If we go to Hawaii again, we might be spotted again. Akina, you should think it over,” Kimura Hiroshi couldn’t help but remind her.

Currently, Japan's economic bubble has not yet burst, and many Japanese people will likely go to Hawaii at the end of this year. This will make them easily spotted, and if they go to Hawaii again, they may be caught by reporters, at which point they may not be able to hide.

Thinking about this, Akina Nakamori hesitated. Indeed, they were photographed by reporters when they went to Hawaii last time. If they went again this time, those reporters might guess what was going on. It would be very troublesome if reporters followed them.

Seeing Akina Nakamori's troubled expression, Hiroshi Kimura couldn't help but laugh. To be honest, his fiancée's troubled look was quite adorable, though constantly frowning would make her age easily.

So Hiroshi Kimura offered his idea, saying, "How about we go to California? And it won't just be the two of us; my family and your family will go too. It'll be a good opportunity for them to get to know each other and become familiar with one another. A stiff meeting is boring. I think meeting on a trip might be better, and everyone will be more relaxed. What do you think?"

This suggestion clearly pleased Nakamori Akina even more; in fact, she was overjoyed. She couldn't help but stand up from the passenger seat and kiss Kimura Hiroshi on the cheek, saying, "That's great, Hiroshi! How did you come up with this idea? I think it's wonderful. It's decided then. Let's invite both our families to go on a trip together. Hehe, that way we'll form a bigger family."

Holding the steering wheel steady, Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but say, "Good, good. Akina, don't get so excited. I'm driving, you need to be careful, okay? I've decided you can't do that again."

She secretly resolved that she would never say anything exciting to Nakamori Akina in the car again, otherwise it could easily cause unnecessary danger, which would be a big problem.

Knowing that she had reacted a little too excitedly, Nakamori Akina said somewhat embarrassedly, "I know, Hiro-kun, I'll be more careful in the future, and I definitely won't move around while you're driving."

As she spoke, she placed her hand on Kimura Hiroshi's thigh and rubbed it hard twice. This action made Kimura Hiroshi's eyes widen. He had said not to move around. What was she doing? Besides, what was the meaning of the passenger touching the driver's leg? Shouldn't he be touching the passenger's leg? Why was it the other way around?

“Hiro-kun has come up with such a great idea, so I’d like to reward him. How about I treat you to something delicious? I’m really hungry from rehearsals. How about we go to that French restaurant we ate at last time? It’s on me,” Akina Nakamori said generously.

When someone offers to treat you, how could Kimura Hiroshi refuse? He immediately agreed, "Great! Since Akina is treating, then I won't stand on ceremony. The French Blue Lobster we had last time was very good. This time, let's have four. I'll have three, and you can have one."

It was truly an outrageous demand, but Nakamori Akina didn't refuse. Instead, she agreed, telling Kimura Hiroshi to drive over and let him eat as much as he wanted, as long as he could stomach it.

The French restaurant wasn't far, and Kimura Hiroshi drove there quickly. However, he didn't order four lobsters. Well, eating one or two is fine, but eating too many might cause stomach problems. He was busy these days and couldn't afford any unexpected issues.

The two of them enjoyed the food. Last time they came, they were both preoccupied with their own thoughts and didn't really feel like eating. This time was different; they were more relaxed and could savor the food slowly.

However, the cost was not small; a single meal cost 200,000 yen. For an ordinary employee, that would be half a month's salary. But for Nakamori Akina, that was nothing. She was now a wealthy woman with 40 billion yen in cash, and she could afford to eat like that every day.

After they finished eating and got into the car, just as Kimura Hiro was about to drive back to the apartment, Nakamori Akina suddenly grabbed his hand on the steering wheel, a sly glint in her eyes, and said, "Hiro-kun, look, our wedding room is nearby. Driving back to the apartment would take a long time. How about we try staying there today?"

No wonder they invited us to this French restaurant; so that's what they were planning. It seems Akina Nakamori has always been obsessed with staying in the bridal chamber. Kimura Hiro couldn't help but pat Akina Nakamori's hair and said, "You little rascal, the bridal chamber has been sitting here for so long, so staying there isn't a problem, but we didn't bring any toiletries. How are we going to stay there..."

“There’s a supermarket over there. I noticed it was open when I came last time. It’s even earlier today, so it’s definitely still open. As for toiletries, we can just buy new ones. As for the bed sheets, hehe, I secretly came over a few days ago to wash them. They’re very clean, so there won’t be any problem sleeping on them.” Nakamori Akina immediately shut down Kimura Hiroshi’s words. Clearly, she had planned this all along and had made some preparations in advance.

What could Kimura Hiroshi say? She had been preparing for so long, so she could only nod and say, "Okay, let's try it out tonight. It'll be a good opportunity to get used to where we'll be living in the future, so we won't be uncomfortable when we actually arrive."

"Great! Hiro-kun is the best! Let's go there quickly!" Nakamori Akina said excitedly.

Chapter 587 Are You Ready?

The year 1980s came to a close, but the hottest topic of the day was not the upcoming New Year holiday or any grand music festival. Instead, it was the fact that the Japanese stock market reached an unprecedented high of 38915.87 points. This news sent the already enthusiastic Japanese into a frenzy.

Which stock should I buy after the market opens next year?

Where should we invest in real estate next year?

"Banks should implement more lenient policies to boost the economy!"

Such reports have filled economic and political newspapers and magazines, attracting the attention of countless Japanese people, including those in the entertainment industry.

This year's record awards ceremony featured an even more lavish and colorful setup, creating a dazzling sense of extravagance. Being there felt like being in a golden age of economic prosperity.

At the awards ceremony, Kimura Hiroshi noticed that many artists weren't talking about who would win which award that night, especially the established artists; they were actually discussing investment-related issues.

"I heard that Mr. Kimura invested in real estate a long time ago. Those properties must have multiplied many times over by now. So Mr. Kimura's wealth must have increased many times over, right?" During the casual conversation before the awards ceremony, Hiromi Go, who had some dealings with Hiroshi Kimura, asked.

His question caused many people present to look at Hiroshi Kimura, as if they wanted to get some answer from him.

In response, Hiroshi Kimura simply smiled and said, "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you all. All of my properties had already been sold off, so I didn't get as much profit as you might have imagined, but I did make some gains."

Kimura Hiroshi was somewhat surprised that people still remembered the news of his real estate purchases reported by the media a few years ago. Fortunately, there weren't many follow-up reports, and no one knew that he had bought a lot more real estate afterward. Of course, no one knew that he had made a fortune from this.

It's best to keep your wealth a secret from yourself and your closest friends. There's no need to tell others. The principle of keeping your wealth hidden is a timeless and universally accepted rule, because you never know what someone might do if they found out about your vast fortune.

Not to mention, it won't be long before the stock market starts its precipitous decline, which is next year. The real estate market might be able to hold on for a while longer, but not for long, because no one can afford such high land prices, not even the Japanese government. The land prices there are enough to buy the entire America. Who can afford that?

"Oh, is that so? That's such a pity. I thought Kimura-san had made a fortune. So, does Kimura-san have any plans to invest next? Akimoto-san, who has worked with you before, has been very interested lately. He's already invested 80 million yen." Hearing that Kimura Hiroshi had already bought the real estate, Go Hiromi was somewhat disappointed, but then he brought up other investments.

Unexpectedly, even that shrewd and cunning Akimoto Yasushi couldn't resist joining this bubble frenzy. Well, he deserves his bad luck. Kimura Hiroshi remained calm and said, "I don't have any investment plans recently because I have more important things to do. I can only apologize."

"Oh, I wonder if Mr. Kimura has something important to do? Could we find out?" someone asked at that moment.

"You'll all find out soon enough. There will be a press conference after the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle). If you're still energetic then, you can watch the TV report." Kimura Hiroshi didn't say anything directly, but told them to wait a while and watch the TV.

I didn't stay among them any longer, lest they bring up investment again. Investing now would probably result in losing everything immediately, so I had to stay away from them at all times.

Instead of continuing to mingle with pop singers, he went to join the enka singers. Compared to the young pop singers, these veteran enka singers were more composed and didn't talk about investment because of the inflated bubble economy.

When they saw Hiroshi Kimura coming over, they all started talking about commissioning songs. Last year, Hiroshi Kimura gave Hibari Misora ​​a huge revival with one song, and this year it was Hiroshi Itsuki who gave it a huge revival. In this difficult time for enka, which enka singer doesn't want a revival? All that hope rests on Hiroshi Kimura.

It wasn't easy for Kimura Hiroshi to stay among this group, so he had to leave after a few brief words. He wanted to go to the female singer's side, but it would be too conspicuous for a man to chat with a group of women, not to mention that Nakamori Akina was still there. It would be a bit too much to flirt with a large group of women in front of his girlfriend.

Fortunately, the music awards ceremony started soon afterward, so Kimura Hiroshi didn't find himself in an awkward situation with no one to talk to. Everyone returned to their seats and began to wait for the awards ceremony to begin.

The competition for this year's Record Awards is far less intense than in previous years, because the winners were practically decided very early on. This situation is very similar to a few years ago when Akina Nakamori released "DESIRE". After she released the single at the beginning of the year, the Record Awards were almost guaranteed for her, and there were no competitors.

This year's Hiroshi Kimura is no exception. All three of his singles and one album have sold over a million copies, making him the only singer to achieve such success. Therefore, there is almost no objection from either the judges or the audience to awarding him the Recording Award. If he were not awarded it, there would probably be a lot of objections.

However, there is no objection to the record awards, but the competition for other awards is quite fierce. In the past two years, quite a few new generation artists have emerged, such as Shizuka Kudo, Yoko Minamino, Yui Asaka, Miho Nakayama, WINK, Hikaru Genji, Kankogumi, Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, etc., representing various genres, so the competition among them is still very intense.

"Ah, Yoko-chan lost. It's such a pity. She has the ability to win the Best Idol Award." On stage, the Best Idol Award was won by Kudo Shizuka, who has become incredibly popular in the last two years. This made Nakamori Akina, who has a good relationship with Minamino Yoko, feel very sorry, but there was nothing she could do. Kudo Shizuka is indeed much more popular than Minamino Yoko, so it was not surprising that she won the award.

Next came the various other awards. Nakamori Akina received a Best Star Award this year, which was a consolation prize, since there really weren't any suitable awards for her at the moment.

As the awards ceremony drew to a close, the most important award was about to be presented: the Record Awards. This year's Record Awards followed the same procedure as last year, with a prior voting process. Nominees included Hiroshi Kimura, WINK, and Miho Nakayama, among others. The judges then voted to determine each person's vote count.

As expected, Hiroshi Kimura won the last record award of the late 1980s with 72 percent of the vote. However, the award committee seemed to want to create a buzz this year, and actually had Akina Nakamori present the award to him on stage, which caused a commotion in the audience.

Without hesitation, Kimura Hiroshi accepted the award from his fiancée, Nakamori Akina, and gave her a big hug. This public display of affection naturally made the noise even louder. Kimura Hiroshi even heard Itsuki Hiroshi egging him on to kiss her, but he didn't do it.

Hugging and kissing might seem like a simple display of affection to the audience without causing much offense, but kissing someone at an awards ceremony would cross a line and could potentially trigger unnecessary media coverage and viewer backlash, which would be undesirable.

With the awards ceremony concluded, Hiroshi Kimura was about to give a final performance, while Akina Nakamori had already left the stage to head to NHK television, where the Kohaku Uta Gassen was waiting for her.

After finally finishing his performance, Hiroshi Kimura hurriedly got into his car after leaving the stage. The driver then sped out of the underground parking garage and headed towards NHK television station.

In the car, while changing his clothes, Kimura Hiroshi asked Tomioka Yukio, who was also in the car, "Mr. Tomioka, how are the contacts with the reporters going?"

Today is not just the last day of the year. After the Red and White Song Festival ends, he has something even more important to do: hold a press conference to announce his marriage.

This press conference is set to become the most important press conference in the history of the Japanese entertainment industry, so Hiroshi Kimura will not announce it casually. All media outlets that have previously spoken ill of him have been excluded. This time, he has invited media outlets and reporters who have good relations with him, as well as reporters from Fuji TV and TV Asahi, so that they can obtain first-hand information.

"Everything has been arranged. I didn't tell them the purpose of the press conference. I just said that Kimura-san would be holding a press conference after the Kohaku Uta Gassen to tell everyone some things. They all said they would come. However, when reporters asked if it was about the wedding news, I didn't give a direct answer," Yukio Tomioka said.

Previously, the biggest rumor about Hiroshi Kimura was the widely circulated news that he had proposed to Akina Nakamori, so some reporters speculated that this might not be surprising.

Hearing that the reporters were willing to attend his press conference, whose purpose was unclear, in the early hours of the morning, Kimura Hiroshi seemed quite pleased, saying, "It seems I still have some influence among the reporters. It's worth the years of friendship I've built with them. Now that the reporters are settled, what about NHK? Would you be willing to provide us with a venue?"

Since the press conference was to be held after the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle), it would be best to hold it at NHK, as it's close by and they wouldn't have to travel too far. They could leave immediately after the press conference. However, NHK has never held a press conference for an artist's wedding before, so it's uncertain whether they would agree to Kimura Hiroshi's request.

Although he had tentatively asked before and the other party agreed, Kimura Hiroshi did not tell him exactly what kind of press conference it was, and now he needed Tomioka Yukio to confirm further.

"Yes, Kimura-san. I told them it was the press conference where you were announcing your marriage to Akina-san. They were surprised, but they still offered to provide the venue, the lobby of the NHK building. They were very generous. Of course, they might also want to create a sensational topic for the Kohaku Uta Gassen," Yukio Tomioka said excitedly.

This is the first time that NHK has agreed to allow two celebrities to announce their marriage on their channel. This is a huge favor, and only someone like Kimura Hiroshi would have such a privilege. It would be very difficult for other celebrities to get this kind of treatment.

"They agreed, hehe, I really didn't expect that. If they hadn't agreed, we would have had to find another place, which would have been a bit troublesome. Since they agreed, I will repay them in the future, such as by participating in a Taiga drama to help them boost their ratings, how about that?" Kimura Hiroshi said, equally happy.

“That’s not impossible, Kimura-san.” Tomioka Yukio thought it was feasible, provided that Kimura Hiroshi still had the mind to participate in the Taiga drama, which has a very long filming period, after getting married.

When the car arrived at NHK TV station, Hiroshi Kimura rushed to the backstage of the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) program. He had already changed his clothes in the car, but he still needed a quick touch-up. His assistant hurriedly helped him with the touch-up, and then a staff member ran over to tell him that it was his turn to go on stage.

He rushed onto the stage again, and his performance wasn't exactly in great shape. He had already performed for a long time at the Recording Awards, and with such a rush, it was impossible for him to be in good form. However, Kimura Hiroshi was doing his best, since NHK had just given him such a big favor.

After singing for a little over three minutes, Hiroshi Kimura left the stage. Unlike before, he didn't rush to change clothes and leave. Instead, he went to the backstage dressing room, changed into a formal suit, tidied his hair, and even dealt with his slightly noticeable dark circles, making sure he looked his best.

When he came out after doing all this, Nakamori Akina was already waiting for him at the door. Nakamori Akina was dressed very beautifully today, with her wavy hair, prominent eyeliner, and a beige dress. She looked dignified and full of feminine charm.

Ignoring the presence of numerous staff members and other artists, Hiroshi Kimura smiled and extended his hand. Akina Nakamori understood and took Hiroshi Kimura's hand in return.

"Are you ready, Akina?" Kimura Hiroshi asked softly.

"Yes, I'm all ready. Let's go over after the concert," Akina Nakamori replied with a smile. She was a little nervous, but it was a joyful nervousness.

Chapter 588 We're Getting Married

As the last Red and White Song Festival of the 1980s came to an end, time quietly entered the 1990s. However, most people in the midst of it did not feel anything special. Just like the many singers who participated in the Red and White Song Festival, after the show ended, they went from backstage to the garage, and their drivers or assistants would drive them to the celebration venue.

The exit of the warehouse was crowded with countless reporters and fans. Even in the cold early morning of the Gregorian New Year, they were still there. The reporters hoped to take some photos that could be published in newspapers or magazines, while the fans hoped to have a close encounter with their idols.

On the contrary, the lobby of NHK TV station, where the Red and White Song Battle was held, was rather deserted at this time. Only a few staff members would leave from this side of the lobby. However, the TV station staff who left the lobby today discovered something very strange.

That was on one side of the hall, with two long tables and two chairs behind them. There were probably dozens of reporters sitting or standing there, and even some with cameras. They must have been reporters from other TV stations.

"What are they doing there? Don't they know that celebrities always come out from the parking garage? Who can they possibly interview here? Are they going to interview us?" a staff member said jokingly.

The other staff members who were with her couldn't help but burst into laughter, saying, "That's possible. Our Masako is even prettier than the average idol. I think we could do some interviews with you. That way, when you become famous, don't forget us! Remember to give us a share of the record sales."

The staff left chatting and laughing, but the reporters remained. However, at this point, they had no idea what the interview topic was. Some of them had been summoned by their superiors and were completely unaware of the interview content, only knowing that Kimura Hiroshi was going to hold a press conference.

"The Red and White Song Festival is over, the live broadcast has stopped, and most of the artists have left the TV station through the underground parking garage. We don't know when Kimura-san will arrive." A reporter couldn't help but report the current situation to his colleagues present.

Upon hearing this news, everyone knew that it shouldn't be too long, but some people still couldn't help but ask, "Gentlemen, seniors, does anyone know what Kimura-san called us all here for today's press conference? I want to write the draft before he arrives, because tomorrow is New Year's Day."

The subtext of his words was that tomorrow is the New Year holiday, and he didn't want to work overtime during the New Year. However, in Japan, you can't directly say you don't want to work overtime, which is why he asked that question.

"Yes, does anyone have any accurate information? Please let me know." Clearly, he wasn't the only one who didn't want to work overtime, and someone else asked about the situation.

However, no one present knew the exact news, and everyone was discussing it. At this moment, someone said, "Could it be that Kimura-san won the Grand Prix again today, and he wants to make an explanation to everyone?"

His guess was met with nothing but eye-rolls. Someone replied, "How could that be? Kimura-san has received so many honors before, but he has never held a press conference. Moreover, he has never seemed to care much about honors. Even his agency rarely promotes his honors."

Most of the reporters present had a good relationship with Hiroshi Kimura, and some even had some connections with him, so they knew something about him.

It wasn't for the record awards, but at this time someone brought up that possibility that many people had been speculating about.

"Do you guys think it's possible that this is a press conference to announce the wedding?"

When someone raised this idea, the reporters present all stopped discussing and fell silent. Although everyone had this guess, no one dared to say it out loud, because although it was very likely, it was also beyond their imagination.

"Probably not. Kimura-san and Akina-san are both at the peak of their careers. Would they get married at this time? That would have an immeasurable impact on their careers."