My daily life with the original diva

In the past, Japanese investors would take out loans to buy real estate and stocks, and then use these assets as collateral to take out more loans to buy more properties. This way, they could keep doing this as long as the appreciation of their assets outpaced the bank interest rates. Interest rates were very low back then, so even if the assets didn't appreciate, it was still acceptable. But now it's different. Assets must appreciate, and they must reach a certain threshold, otherwise they will be insolvent.

With banks tightening lending, it's impossible to keep taking out loans one after another, which inevitably leads to a dead end. In addition, the continuous rise in the value of the Japanese currency in recent years has significantly weakened its export capabilities, making it difficult to transfer even part of the crisis out of the country. This directly results in Japan having to bear the brunt of this terrible storm.

However, the current Japanese market does not yet see the crisis caused by this. Yesterday, the Ministry of Finance released a statement, and the stock market only experienced a slight fluctuation, dropping by 0.3%. The real estate market was also unaffected and continues to maintain its unattainable high prices.

Because Japanese investors are still hoping that Japan won't let the stock market fall and the real estate market collapse. They believe that even if interest rates are raised, they will intervene to save the market if problems arise, such as lowering interest rates again, just like they previously thought that the Ministry of Finance wouldn't decide to raise loan interest rates so quickly.

But Kimura Hiroshi knew that all of this was just wishful thinking. Japan's Ministry of Finance wouldn't save them; they would have to bear everything themselves. This was why Kimura Hiroshi was so eager for Toho to give him a share of the film's profits, because he knew that the tycoon had also invested in real estate and was about to face a period of dramatic asset fluctuations.

Moreover, it is rumored that when the bubble burst, a large portion of her assets were divided up by various severely damaged conglomerates. This is why, in the 1990s, Yasuko Sawaguchi's resources immediately plummeted, because even the big boss couldn't hold on any longer.

Faced with this situation, Kimura Hiroshi naturally couldn't remain inactive. His first priority was to ensure his company weathered this storm safely.

This isn't too difficult, because their company mainly produces artistic works and doesn't invest in the stock market or real estate. Moreover, as the bubble bursts and Japanese consumers downgrade their spending, inexpensive items like comics and movies will become their preferred choices.

However, this doesn't mean they don't have other problems. First, there's the situation of the company's employees. To avoid losing some high-quality employees due to investment failures, Kimura Hiroshi directly called Matsumoto Takaaki over and asked directly, "President Matsumoto, how many of our company's employees have invested in real estate or stocks?"

Matsumoto Takaaki hadn't expected Kimura Hiroshi to call him over to ask this, but he quickly realized that Kimura Hiroshi probably had some concerns after seeing the loan interest rate adjustment announced by the Ministry of Finance yesterday.

"Well, Chairman, quite a few of the company's employees have invested; you could say most of them have participated. But you can rest assured, Chairman, most of them don't have any huge loans. As for real estate investment, since most of them are young employees, many simply can't afford the down payment, so the vast majority of employees don't have any real estate investments." Matsumoto Takaaki was quite familiar with the company's situation.

This was quite unexpected for Kimura Hiroshi, but he soon realized that most of the company's employees were recruited around 87, when real estate prices had already started to go crazy. In the two years that the price increase was so fast and frightening, which was only the first two years of their employment, the housing prices were already incredibly high. Even if they wanted a piece of soup, they didn't have a spoon!

This is quite similar to the situation in his homeland in later years. Although most young people know that investing in real estate is very profitable, they can't afford to buy it. If they don't have the money, they can only watch. There are also prerequisites for buying.

"Speaking of investments, it's me, President Hirono, and a few others who have invested in some real estate. Chairman, do you think the situation is about to change?" Matsumoto Takaaki then asked tentatively.

Kimura Hiroshi did not answer directly, but said, "Since the Ministry of Finance wants to control real estate investment, it is probably not a good thing given the current high prices of real estate. President Matsumoto, if you have made a profit, it would be best to withdraw now. Of course, these are just my opinions."

It was a rather tactful way of putting it. Matsumoto Takaaki thought about it carefully and then replied, "I will consider what the chairman said. If possible, I will sell the properties I have."

Knowing that it would be difficult for Kimura Hiroshi to persuade Matsumoto Takaaki to give up the appreciating property after he said that, he didn't intend to say anything more. Knowing that most of the company's employees did not have any large loans or investments, he felt relieved. He didn't want the company, which he had worked so hard to build, to go bankrupt because of a bursting bubble, which would be a huge blow to the company. After all, it takes time to train new employees.

"President Matsumoto, you can consider these matters yourself. However, there are some things that are related to the company that I still need to mention. First of all, the company's expenses need to be controlled. You need to plan these. Also, there's the company's year-end bonus... well, never mind, let's not cut it."

Kimura Hiroshi originally planned to cut a portion of the company's bonuses to employees as a reserve fund, so that they could receive the bonuses when the bubble burst and they needed them, thus helping them through the crisis. However, after thinking about it, Kimura Hiroshi realized that if he cut the bonuses, he might not get gratitude, but rather resentment.

There's nothing else to it. You say it's for my own good, but you deducted my pay, saying you'll pay me back when I'm in trouble. This probably won't get a good response anywhere in the world, because that's human nature. Kimura Hiroshi isn't some saint who would take the blame for his employees. Let them face the storm themselves. Not reducing their salaries then would be the greatest mercy we can show them.

Knowing what Chairman Kimura Hiroshi was thinking, Matsumoto Takaaki said, "Chairman, the personal assets of employees are not something we need to manage. That's beyond the company's scope of responsibility. We just need to give them what they are entitled to, and everything else is their own business."

Regardless of which country he comes from, he always harbors a desire to lead everyone to prosperity. This is not the behavior of a qualified chairman. Kimura Hiroshi forcibly suppressed this thought and said, "President Matsumoto is right. Let's do it this way. I was overthinking it, but cost control is a must. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Chairman. I will start planning as soon as I get back. I will reduce the company's operating costs by more than 10% within two months to ensure that the company will not have operational problems even if it encounters a major economic crisis in the future." Matsumoto Takaaki set a goal for Kimura Hiroshi.

Kimura Hiroshi was very satisfied with this and said, "Very good, then I'll have to trouble President Matsumoto. However, the employees should still be given what they are entitled to. Salaries cannot be reduced and working hours cannot be increased excessively. You can decide the rest yourself."

Chapter 616 We've been together for six years

On the last working day of the Ministry of Finance's requirement for banks to implement new lending policies, the Japanese stock market, which was already showing a steady decline, experienced a sharp fluctuation, with the stock price falling by more than 7% at one point. However, it seemed that someone was supporting the market, and the decline did not exceed 2% in the final stage of trading.

However, this is a signal. Although most investors are still optimistic, some have already started to run away, mainly foreign investors. They don't have the strange optimism of the Japanese. These guys who have been fighting in the market for countless years know very well what kind of problems this new policy will bring, and they have begun to withdraw their profits from Japan.

However, none of this has anything to do with Hiroshi Kimura, because he doesn't understand the stock market and hasn't studied so-called stock market operations. It's something that ordinary people simply can't understand. Even if you have 300 billion yen in your hands, you're still a small fish in the stock market and can be eaten up at any time. So, in order to protect your assets, it's best not to participate in so-called stock market investments.

On this workday, Hiroshi Kimura was discussing a commissioned anime for Fuji Television with Takashi Hirono, the president of Hiroshi Manga. They had completed the first draft and the characters were basically finalized. Now, all that was needed was for President Hiroshi Kimura to make the final confirmation before submitting it to Fuji Television for review.

If things go smoothly, Wit Studio will release the manga first, then work with Nippon Animation Production Co., Ltd. to produce the anime, which will then be broadcast by Fuji Television.

The characters in the new manga were drawn by the artists in front of Hiroshi Kimura, and the artists filled in the colors later. It has to be said that the Japanese artists are indeed very professional. Although there are slight differences, they are still very similar to the characters in his memory.

"Very good, this is the art style. The characters are basically confirmed. The main characters are Momoko's family, including her grandparents, parents, older sister, and Momoko herself. The story's setting is also confirmed; it takes place in Shimizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The story mainly revolves around Momoko, a young elementary school student, and the events that happen around her." Kimura Hiroshi looked at the confirmed basic information of the manga and was very satisfied, because this was exactly how he remembered Chibi Maruko-chan.

Seeing that Kimura Hiroshi was satisfied, Hirono Takashi also breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Since the chairman thinks there is no problem, then we will submit the story to Fuji Television according to this situation, and hope that they will approve it."

This manga, named after the young female protagonist "Momoko Sakura," features a classic and minimalist art style and a rather bland story. But that was exactly what Hiroshi Kimura wanted, and Takashi Hirono didn't know if Fuji Television would accept it.

Kimura Hiroshi, however, was very confident, saying, "President Hirono, you can rest assured. Since I've decided to finalize the content of the manga in this way, I'm naturally confident. I won't deliberately do anything to make things difficult for you. You'll find out next Monday when you take your people to Fuji TV to discuss things."

What else could Takashi Hirono say? He could only hope that what Hiroshi Kimura said was true, and that Fuji Television wouldn't think they were just deliberately giving them the runaround.

"By the way, who decided on the story content, and why did they choose Shimizu City?" Kimura Hiroshi suddenly asked with great curiosity. When the story was being decided, he had considered whether to set it in Saitama Prefecture, but ultimately decided to let the manga studio have their own ideas. He never expected that they would choose Shimizu City, which is exactly the same as the original work.

As the president of the manga club, Hirono Takashi was naturally very aware of this. He was in charge of the entire manga production process. He replied, "It's like this, President. Based on your request, I communicated with the illustrators in the manga club. A young female illustrator named Miura Miki put forward her idea. I think her concept is similar to the president's requirements, so we adopted her idea."

"Oh, is that so? That's really great. If the comic is confirmed to be without problems, then give her a generous reward. We should value outstanding young people even more." Kimura Hiroshi was surprised that it was a young female artist who came up with the idea, but since it was her idea, the reward was naturally indispensable, as this would benefit the development of the comic club.

"Yes, Chairman, I've remembered your request. The reward for her will be substantial." Hirono Takashi answered without hesitation. After all, he had originally planned to give her a sufficient reward, and now that Kimura Hiroshi had also given the order, it was no longer a problem.

After confirming the situation regarding the manga, Kimura Hiroshi left the manga company in a hurry without even having lunch. He drove to the airport and took the next available short-haul flight to Osaka. Today was the first day of Nakamori Akina's tour in Osaka, and Kimura Hiroshi planned to surprise her there.

The two concerts that Akina Nakamori previously held in Tokyo were extremely popular. This was because it was Akina Nakamori's last tour before her marriage, and many media outlets were speculating that it might be her retirement tour. This time, they were not making things up, but rather because Akina Nakamori had mentioned many times in the media that she hoped to be as happy as Momoe Yamaguchi.

Before getting married, Momoe Yamaguchi retired from the entertainment industry. Her retirement was complicated, but she lived a stable and happy life afterward, making her the envy of many female celebrities. Now that Akina Nakamori is getting married, she will definitely retire like Momoe Yamaguchi.

Therefore, the media hype was very lively. Of course, Hiroshi Kimura also knew that in addition to traffic, the media hype was also influenced by the agencies that manage female artists.

For so many years, Yamaguchi Momoe, Matsuda Seiko, and Nakamori Akina have been the top female entertainers for a long time. Nakamori Akina, in particular, has been at the top for so long that many agencies have had enough and are just waiting for this opportunity to oust her and make room for their own female entertainers to become the next top star.

Kimura Hiroshi didn't take any action on this, because Nakamori Akina herself was very indifferent to the matter. Her ambition for her career faded rapidly when she decided to get married. The reason she's on tour now is purely because she can't bear to part with her fans and supporters, not because of fame or income. So even if Kimura Hiroshi does something, it will be futile and won't benefit or help Nakamori Akina in any way.

These firms' actions were nothing short of petty and a waste of their money. They had no idea that Akina Nakamori had already decided to give up her position, and Hiroshi Kimura naturally wouldn't remind them.

After boarding the flight, Hiroshi Kimura, wearing sunglasses, leaned back in his seat and read a magazine. He had bought an economy class ticket because it was a short-haul flight and business class was unnecessary.

The flight was full, almost every seat was occupied, and many people in the cabin were talking quietly. If Kimura Hiroshi listened carefully, he could hear what they were discussing. Some people were talking about their recent economic situation, while others were talking about love. Of course, there were also some unusual conversations. For example, Kimura Hiroshi heard that the young people next to him were going to Osaka to attend Nakamori Akina's tour.

These people couldn't get tickets for the Tokyo tour, so they set their sights on tickets for the Osaka tour. After finally managing to snag some, they decided to fly there. Kimura Hiroshi greatly admired these people because the cost of such a round trip was considerable.

Just as Kimura Hiroshi was happy that his fiancée had such fans, these guys actually started talking badly about him. In short, they said that he was too handsome and easily tempted, and that he might not be a good man. They also blamed him for choosing to get married so early, causing their Akina to retire so soon. They said it was simply outrageous.

Kimura Hiroshi was naturally baffled. Good heavens, this was speculation about his character. Did they already think he would cheat on his wife in the future? That was truly despicable.

I was originally thinking that since these guys had come all this way to attend Akina Nakamori's tour, I was hoping that once they got there, Akina Nakamori might give them some special souvenirs, like autographed posters or albums. But since these guys were talking badly about him, that perk is off the table.

When the plane landed at Osaka Airport, Hiroshi Kimura didn't even need to take a taxi. Yoshizawa Akiyuki had already sent someone to pick him up. Although Hiroshi Kimura didn't tell Akina Nakamori, her staff would still inform her in case of any unexpected situations.

While taking a ride, Kimura Hiroshi passed a flower shop, bought a whole bouquet of flowers, and then headed to the performance venue. When he arrived, Ms. Noriko was already waiting for him at the door.

"Kimura-san, I've arranged a front-row seat for you, but it's best not to interrupt Akina-chan's performance. Recently, Akina-chan's fans seem to be a bit emotionally unstable," Ms. Noriko said very tactfully.

Having already met him on the plane, Kimura Hiroshi naturally knew the general situation. Not all of Nakamori Akina's fans wanted her to marry them; some even felt that his presence was hindering Nakamori Akina's career and definitely harbored resentment towards him. Especially with so many recent rumors about Nakamori Akina's retirement, this instability was quite normal.

In response, Hiroshi Kimura said understandingly, "I know, Ms. Noriko. I was just an audience member during the performance. As for any surprises, we'll talk about them backstage. Please don't worry."

That solves the problem. Ms. Noriko quickly led Kimura Hiroshi into the performance venue, a large hall in Osaka that can host large-scale performances and has more than 8,000 seats. Of course, these seats are far from enough for fans and music lovers who want to see Nakamori Akina perform; even 20,000 seats probably wouldn't be enough.

So when he went in, the place was already packed with people, fans and music lovers filled the seats. Kimura Hiroshi even saw many banners, full of reluctance to part with Nakamori Akina, two of which even said things like "Don't get married." Kimura Hiroshi was really angry. These guys were going too far, actually interfering in the idol's private life. No wonder Japanese fans in later generations were so extreme, they didn't even allow their idols to date.

Shortly after he entered, all the lights in the hall went out, which meant that the performance was about to begin. Sure enough, a few seconds later, a beam of light shone down, and Nakamori Akina officially appeared on stage. That familiar performance outfit, and those purple eyeshadows, were all things that Nakamori Akina had shown to him before.

The opening song was the intense "Forbidden Zone." Compared to a few years ago, Akina Nakamori's rendition of this single now has a different feel. The rebellious girl vibe she had back then is gone now; instead, she exudes a dark queen aura. Her voice is also slightly deep and hoarse, which isn't due to excessive smoking, but rather a style she deliberately designed.

The next few songs were her most popular hits over the years, as well as some of her favorite singles from the album. The atmosphere at the venue became increasingly heated, and many fans got very emotional as they listened, with some even shouting strange things.

"Please, Akina-chan, please don't get married, okay? We love you!"

"Please don't get married. Kimura Hiroshi is a man who will betray you!"

Although it wasn't much, Hiroshi Kimura heard it very clearly, and it also ruined the atmosphere of the performance, which was really annoying.

The next song was supposed to be "Not Just Loneliness," a slightly quirky song that Hiroshi Kimura wrote for Akina Nakamori. However, after the show started, the performance didn't begin. Instead, the lights came on and Akina Nakamori appeared on stage with a microphone.

She glanced at the audience and then said in her gentle voice, the kind she used only when addressing her fans, "Everyone, I know you all feel a lot of reluctance to part with me. I also know how much you love me. I am very happy and grateful, but I also feel sorry for all of you for your love."

However, I must say that I started dating Mr. Hiroshi Kimura when I was nineteen years old, and we have been together for over six years. He is a smart, gentle, kind, and devoted man. I can clearly feel his feelings for me. I am happy and joyful when I am with him, and I feel loved and cared for. So please stop saying bad things about Mr. Hiroshi Kimura. I don't really like him.

Please continue to listen to my songs in the future, okay? I will take control of my own life, and I believe my future will be happy and fulfilling. Thank you everyone, and I'm very sorry.

After speaking, Akina Nakamori bowed deeply to express her apology for interrupting the performance. Her words were met with approval from most of the fans present, and the entire venue erupted in cheers and applause.

Chapter 617 I won't allow it either

Down in the audience, Hiroshi Kimura was stunned to see Akina Nakamori talking about her personal matters with her fans during his concert. Akina Nakamori had never done anything like this before, not to mention that her words were clearly in his favor and she was quite rude to the fans who were jeering.

As someone who would never talk about her private affairs in public, and someone who values ​​her fans and followers extremely, Akina Nakamori crossed her bottom line today just to say a few good words for him.

And it's not just about crossing the line; her words at the concert today will have a huge impact on her image. Without a doubt, entertainment media will report tomorrow that she said some harsh words to fans at the concert, and no one knows how awful they were.

"She really is protecting me, but this doesn't do her any good at all," Kimura Hiro murmured. Nakamori Akina could have completely ignored what happened today, but she still spoke up, which shows that she values ​​her fiancé more than everything she has painstakingly built up over the years.

After saying what needed to be said, the concert continued. Nakamori Akina was not affected by the fans' actions, and she remained in good condition throughout the rest of the concert, performing each song exceptionally well. This shows that she is truly meticulous about stage performances, and she was able to maintain her composure even after unpleasant events occurred.

The concert lasted for more than an hour. Although the weather was still quite cool, Akina Nakamori was already drenched in sweat. Amid cheers of reluctance, the concert officially ended.

The entire stage went dark, but the fans and enthusiasts in the audience were still very reluctant to leave, because they didn't know if this would be the last time they saw Akina Nakamori perform.

As the concert ended, Hiroshi Kimura didn't stay in the audience area any longer. He quietly went backstage, picked up the bouquet of flowers he had bought, and Ms. Noriko saw him and was about to greet him when Hiroshi Kimura gestured for her to stop.

At that moment, Akina Nakamori, who had just finished her performance, was removing her makeup. She was wiping her eyeliner in front of the mirror when Hiroshi Kimura tiptoed up behind her and handed her a bouquet of roses.

Seeing the bouquet of flowers suddenly appear in front of her, Akina Nakamori was delighted and said, "Noriko-san, who sent these flowers? Roses, no less... Ah, Hiro-kun, what are you doing here?"

As she spoke of Akina Nakamori, she turned around, only to find that it wasn't Ms. Noriko who had given her the flowers, but rather a smiling Hiroshi Kimura standing behind her; it was he who had given her the bouquet.

"I can't possibly miss all of my fiancée's tour performances, can I? I happened to have some time, so I came to Osaka to see Akina's show and bought you a bouquet of flowers to congratulate you on your successful performance," Kimura Hiroshi said casually, as if it wasn't a specially prepared surprise.

Nakamori Akina, naturally understanding Kimura Hiroshi's meaning, was delighted. She took the roses from Kimura Hiroshi's hand, smelled them, and said, "They smell so good. They must have been picked recently. Hiroshi-kun really knows how to pick them. But did you really just buy them on a whim?"

"Of course it was just something I did on the spur of the moment. I mainly came to see Akina's performance," Kimura Hiroshi said with absolute certainty. He just didn't want to say what Nakamori Akina wanted to hear; that's how arrogant he was.

Nakamori Akina wrinkled her nose at Kimura Hiroshi, holding the flowers. Although Kimura Hiroshi was unwilling to say those specially prepared words, she was still happy as long as she knew his feelings. However, she suddenly thought of something and asked, "Hiroshi-kun, you watched my performance just now, so did you hear what I said?"

Without answering, Kimura Hiroshi simply gave Nakamori Akina a mysterious smile, put his hand on her shoulder, and said, "I know Akina's feelings, and I'm very happy. Thank you for what you said, but if possible, you should still prioritize yourself, you know? Your Hiro-kun is very strong, and he doesn't care about any rumors."

However, Akina Nakamori shook her head firmly and said, "Hiro-kun is not what they say. Why should we let them say that? I don't want to see this happen again. And if it happens again, I will still say it."

There was nothing he could do about her, but Kimura Hiroya felt even more sorry for her and didn't want to continue talking about it and affect Nakamori Akina's mood. He changed the subject and said, "Hurry up and take off your makeup and take a shower. The performance was so tiring. I'll take you to eat some good food in Osaka. Oh, and invite everyone along. Consider it a celebration party on my behalf."

Kimura Hiro suddenly came to see her performance, wanting to give her a surprise. Nakamori Akina was also in a good mood. She didn't want to continue talking about such a heavy topic, so she replied, "Okay, Hiro-kun, I'll go and prepare right away. Remember to have Ms. Noriko inform everyone."

"Okay, go ahead." Kimura Hiroshi pushed Nakamori Akina, urging her to hurry up. After Nakamori Akina left, he turned around and went to find Ms. Noriko, asking her to inform the staff present that he would treat everyone to a late-night snack later, which naturally caused a burst of cheers.

Osaka, as the city with the strongest neon commercial atmosphere, is also bustling at night, with countless nighttime venues and a lot of high-end restaurants. However, it lacks the excessive luxury of Tokyo, which is a good thing. After all, such luxury is built on the bubble economy, and when the bubble bursts, everything will vanish like smoke.

They chose a nice izakaya, and Kimura Hiroshi generously ordered many high-end dishes, letting the staff responsible for Nakamori Akina's performance witness her fiancé's generosity.

Then the group of people started eating and drinking in the private room. Kimura Hiroshi, Nakamori Akina, Akiyuki Yoshizawa, and Ms. Noriko sat together, eating and chatting.

However, on such occasions, Nakamori Akina's drinking habit would escalate. It was unclear where she got this habit of secretly drinking from. Kimura Hiroshi had been trying to control her, but whenever she had the chance, she would find a way to drink a few more glasses. Because she didn't get tipsy, at most her face would turn pale, which meant that Kimura Hiroshi wouldn't notice unless he was deliberately observing her.

"That's enough, you've already had seven drinks. You can't drink anymore. Don't think I didn't see you, Akina." Kimura Hiroshi stopped Nakamori Akina, who was about to finish her drink, and gestured for her not to drink anymore.

Unexpectedly, even Kimura Hiroshi, who was chatting with Akiyuki Yoshizawa, noticed that she had drunk a few glasses. Nakamori Akina immediately became a little listless, but she did not refute it. She just replied weakly, "Oh, I see. Then I'll have some juice next."