My daily life with the original diva

But this is perfectly normal in Japan. His unusual behavior immediately aroused Kimura Ryo's suspicion. She suddenly turned serious and said, "You won't let me go? Could it be that there's a woman in the apartment? You've really gone astray. It hasn't been long, and you're already living with a woman."

This ability to make connections is absolutely top-notch. Kimura Hiroshi's face darkened. If this older sister didn't let him go, he would probably have to take the blame, and who knows what she would say to his family when he got back.

Having no choice but to give in, the older sister drove him back to the apartment. When she saw that her brother lived in a high-end apartment with complete security facilities, and that the apartment was clean, spacious and comfortable, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"No woman here? That's really disappointing, kid. Everyone says that male idols in the entertainment industry are surrounded by women, but it seems like there's not a trace of a woman here at all?" Seeing that there were really no signs of Kimura Hiro living in the apartment, Kimura Ryo said with disappointment.

This completely baffled Kimura Hiroshi; what exactly was his older sister trying to do?

"Haha, look at you. Okay, I won't tease you anymore. I'm relieved to know where you live. I have to rush back tonight. It's the end of the year, and there are still many things to take care of. I don't have time to linger here." Kimura Ryo said, turning to leave.

It was almost midnight, and if they went back now, it would be past midnight by the time they got to Saitama. Kimura Hiroshi quickly stopped them, saying, "It's too late, sister. It's not safe to drive this late. Let's rest for the night and call home while we're at it."

Looking at the time, Kimura Ryo knew it was too late and he wouldn't make it to work tomorrow if he went back now. "Let's go to the hotel then. I know you're a popular male idol now. If I sleep here for one night and get photographed, it'll probably be headline news again tomorrow. Let's go to the hotel next door."

"You even know that?" Kimura Hiroshi was speechless. This older sister really was treating her younger brother like a toy. She knew that, yet she still caused all this trouble.

Finally, he took the difficult older sister to the hotel and returned to his apartment. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the phone rang. Kimura Hiroshi guessed who was calling and quickly ran over to answer it.

"Moshi, Moshi, this is Nakamori's Butcher Shop. We heard that Mr. Kimura won a complete victory today. Would you like to order some high-quality spare ribs to make Chinese cuisine to celebrate the victory?" A strange child's voice came through the receiver.

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Two Phone Calls

The only person who could use that voice to talk to him on the phone was Akina Nakamori, because she usually spoke with a slightly childlike voice. If she deliberately added a more mature, childlike tone, it would create a unique childlike voice. If someone had any improper thoughts about her at that moment, it would be a real torture.

"Ah, yes, use the best pork ribs, blanch them, then caramelize them with sugar, and stir-fry them vigorously with ginger and garlic to infuse the ribs with their spiciness. After that, add cooking wine and soy sauce, and wow, the aroma of the meat will be irresistible. Then add water and simmer for half an hour. After that, leave some sauce, sprinkle with chopped green onions, and serve. Put it on top of rice, and the taste is simply..."

"Gulp!" Before Kimura Hiroshi could finish speaking, a sound of swallowing seemed to come from the other side. Both sides fell silent instantly, and then Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but burst into laughter, saying that he had made Nakamori Akina hungry.

Akina Nakamori, who was on the other side, realized that she had made a fool of herself and immediately became very upset. She frantically tried to shift the blame, saying, "Ah, it's all your fault, Kimura-san. Why did you have to explain it in so much detail? It was really torturous."

Hmph, serves you right for being silly. Now you're experiencing the power of late-night food poisoning, aren't you? This is just a verbal description; if I showed you a food program, I guarantee it would make this little foodie drool.

"I'll cook for you when I have time, but Akina-san is probably very busy lately, so we probably won't have a chance to meet. Let's wait until next year, when she should have a vacation." Akina Nakamori, who has become incredibly popular, is extremely busy. During the year-end period, she needs to travel to various TV stations for year-end review programs and award ceremonies, and she also has to attend the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle). It's probably difficult to get to eat her cooking.

Akina Nakamori was silent for a moment before saying, "Next year? We have to wait another year. It's really unbearable."

"Sigh, isn't it only twenty days?" This timeframe isn't long, and Kimura Hiroshi felt they could wait.

"Twenty days, that's a long time. By the way, Kimura-san, would you like to see the Red and White Song Festival rehearsal?" Nakamori Akina suddenly changed the subject and asked.

When this was mentioned suddenly, Hiroshi Kimura was taken aback. The Kohaku Uta Gassen, as the biggest music event of the year, would definitely interest a real Japanese singer, but Hiroshi Kimura was not. His most direct purpose in singing was to make money, not for any awards or honors.

However, he knew that Akina Nakamori was expecting him to go, so he did not refuse and replied, "Is that alright? After all, I wasn't invited."

"Yes, we can pretend to be staff members and join Mr. Akiyuki for the second rehearsal the day after tomorrow. The rehearsal should finish at 9 pm. We can invite everyone to my apartment and ask Mr. Kimura to cook us a meal, is that alright?"

So that's what they were planning. Kimura Hiroshi thought it was a good idea. With such a big incident today, there wouldn't be any activities for the next couple of days, so he could go and see what was going on, broaden his horizons, and also cook a meal for Nakamori Akina, who had helped him so much, so she wouldn't be drooling over it.

"Alright, I'll go check it out while I'm at it. Looks like I'll have to start preparing the ingredients tomorrow. It's settled then." Kimura Hiroshi agreed.

Then I heard Akina Nakamori cheering from the other end of the line. It was clear she was really happy. We chatted for a bit more, and it was almost 1 a.m. The next day, Akina Nakamori had to get up at 6 a.m. to participate in a program. Only after being urged by Hiroshi Kimura did she reluctantly hang up the phone.

But as soon as he hung up, the phone rang again. Kimura Hiroshi thought it was Nakamori Akina up to something again and was about to play a prank on her. When he answered, a very rude voice came from the other end, saying, "Hey, Kimura kid, you've really made a splash today. I kept calling you and the line was busy. Were you talking to my leading lady?"

It was Takeshi Kitano. I didn't expect him to call me. Hiroshi Kimura didn't deny it and said, "Yes, Mr. Kitano. After all, we're going to be playing lovers, so we need to work on our relationship beforehand."

Takeshi Kitano almost choked on his words, his anger flaring up. "You brat, you have time to cultivate a relationship with her, but no time to film? Seriously, how can there be an investor and actor like you who wastes so much time doing nothing? You're a complete idiot."

This was clearly a rush. After entering November, Hiroshi Kimura was busy with his new single, and the filming progress slowed down considerably. From the end of the month until now, he has been dealing with this ghostwriting incident, and filming has almost come to a standstill. How could Takeshi Kitano not be angry? He couldn't accept this filming schedule.

"Ah, you're pretty much the same. What kind of supervisor dares to yell at investors? If it weren't for me, no one would hire you as a supervisor, you old man." Kimura Hiroshi retorted directly.

This was outrageous! Takeshi Kitano exploded on the phone, babbling incoherently with profanities. Hiroshi Kimura simply put the receiver down and waited until the sound stopped before picking it up again.

"Finished ranting? Alright, there's definitely no way we can continue filming before the end of the year. We'll continue next year. By the way, Mr. Kitano is having such a relaxed year at the TV station. He's really not very popular." Kimura Hiroshi continued sarcastically.

But this time Takeshi Kitano wasn't angry. Instead, he proudly told Hiroshi Kimura, "Kimura, you're wrong this time. I'm already participating in the recording of a comedy show. With my eloquence, I'll probably become famous soon. When that happens, even if you ask me to act in a movie, I won't go. You arrogant and ignorant guy."

Manzai, or Japanese stand-up comedy, is a performance by two people who use witty and humorous language to make each other laugh and get the audience to laugh. Takeshi Kitano used to work in a strip club doing this, but he never had the opportunity to perform on stage and instead worked backstage as a producer. Now it seems that his chance has finally come.

When Kimura Hiroshi heard Kitano Takeshi say this, he knew that this guy was about to become famous. He was truly gifted in manzai (stand-up comedy). In the future, it would cost ten million yen to hire him for a show, which was an extremely high price. Alas, it would probably be very difficult to hire him to make movies at such a low price in the future.

"I see. Well then, congratulations, Mr. Kitano. If I have the chance in the future, I will personally go to see Mr. Kitano's performance." Kimura Hiroshi finally refrained from saying anything strange and sincerely congratulated him.

"Ah, so you can actually say nice things, that's rare indeed. Alright, it's too late, I'm going to have some fun. If filming can't resume by February next year, then you can go find someone else to film. You're wasting my time. Playing with you in filmmaking is less worthwhile than going to a bar in Ginza and finding some women." With that, he slammed down the phone.

This person is really something. Kimura Hiroshi was speechless and didn't know what to say. His bad habits were countless, but his talent was indeed extraordinary. He seemed to have a fiery temper, but he wasn't difficult to get along with. He was truly a collection of contradictions. No wonder there were just as many people who criticized him and just as many who liked him in later generations.

Chapter Seventy: Bad Things and Good Things

"At last night's press conference, a popular male idol created a piece on the spot to clarify rumors."

"At the press conference, the popular male idol displayed a rude attitude and provoked the media."

"A major counterattack: A popular male idol composes a song on the spot to refute rumors of ghostwriting!"

"Breaking news: A popular male idol admits to having bad tendencies in school."

"It has been confirmed by everyone that the popular male idol made several mistakes while playing the piano live."

Last night's reception attracted a large number of reporters, including three major television stations that broadcast the event live. Naturally, it became the headline news in major media outlets this morning.

The headlines were incredibly varied. Some major media outlets, to some extent, had some self-respect and reported the events of last night's press conference truthfully, albeit in a convoluted and inflammatory manner, making it seem as if Kimura Hiroshi had fought with the reporters on the spot and emerged victorious.

However, some media outlets have lost all sense of shame. They stopped talking about ghostwriting because they know that many ordinary people who are concerned about this matter watched the live broadcast last night. If they continue to talk about ghostwriting, it would be fooling the readers, and they will not buy it.

So they started writing from some strange angles, such as Kimura Hiroshi's bad temper, his bad behavior, etc., which can be described as having no bottom line.

Only a few major media outlets that were on good terms with Hiroshi Kimura and Ken-On came out and said a few good words for Hiroshi Kimura, preventing the market from being filled with strange reports.

After seeing his sister off, Kimura Hiroshi returned to his office and was immediately called to the conference room to be briefed on the various media reports of the day.

"Although the controversy surrounding the ghostwriting has passed, the media's malice towards you, Kimura-san, has not dissipated; on the contrary, it has intensified. This is not a good thing for Kimura-san," Terabayashi Akira said with great concern.

As an artist, it's impossible to completely sever ties with the media, because they need the media for publicity. When most media outlets are hostile towards an artist, that artist is not far from being forgotten.

Even if ordinary people still remember that this is just the media smearing him and won't buy into the media's claims, if the media continues to spread the message that this person is a bad guy, over time, this image will be deeply ingrained in many people's minds, making them instinctively think that he is a bad person and have no good feelings towards him.

Faced with this situation, Hiroshi Kimura frowned. He had enjoyed his verbal sparring with the media last night, but now he was facing the consequences of doing so. These media outlets were really something else; they wouldn't admit their mistakes, but instead would assume that someone was challenging their authority and continue to smear them from a different angle. In short, they were always right, and it was always the media that was wrong.

Continuing to fight back will not benefit Hiroshi Kimura at all; on the contrary, it will damage his plans to make money in the entertainment industry. The next two years are the last period for making money from records in the 1980s. If he is really smeared by the media and can't make enough money to achieve financial freedom in the future, then he will really suffer a huge loss.

"Then let's invite these less outrageous media outlets to a cocktail party three days from now to thank them for attending. Also, let them cover my announcements and give me an interview once a month." In order to make a good living, Kimura Hiroshi chose to compromise to a limited extent.

He has no interest in compromising with those who try to smear him to the end. These aren't particularly disgusting, so he'll just swallow his pride and accept it.

I gave them a good talking-to last night, and now I have to come out and say nice things to them. That feeling is really unpleasant.

Everyone present was delighted to hear that Kimura Hiroshi was willing to compromise, especially Terabayashi Akira, who was in charge of publicity and had to go against most of the media outlets; that job was really difficult.

He stood up and bowed to Kimura Hiroshi. "Thank you so much, Kimura-san. Your willingness to reconcile with them will make my work much easier in the future."

"Kimura-san is indeed wise. He knows that continuing to confront them is the most disadvantageous thing for us. Only by making appropriate compromises can we live better in the adult world. Mr. Terabayashi, please go and communicate with them properly." Hanami Kagami quickly gave instructions after seeing that Kimura Hiroshi was willing to compromise.

However, Kimura Hiroshi was not happy because of Hanami Kagami's praise. He still had a stern face. He had just won a victory, and now he had to compromise with the enemy he had defeated. Even if he was a mature middle-aged man, he could not be happy.

Of course, today wasn't just filled with upsetting things for Kimura Hiroshi; there were also good things, such as the song he composed last night, "Mirai e," which is currently incredibly popular. Many people have been calling cable TV request services today to ask if they can play the song, since the record of this song is not available on the market.

The request channel naturally called Ken-On to inquire whether Hiroshi Kimura would record the song, meaning that the song was poised to become a huge hit even before its official release.

"Sell the copyright. I don't plan to record this song because it's actually more suitable for a female voice." Hirokazu Kimura has no intention of recording this song as an album because the emotions in it are too delicate, and a male voice would actually sound a bit out of place. His performance last night wasn't exactly outstanding either; people were just amazed that he could write a famous song in half an hour.

Giving the song to Akina Nakamori wouldn't be suitable either, because her current image is still that of a teen idol, and the market response to this kind of song might not be as high. It would be best to find a slightly older female singer to sing it to maximize the profits.

"Then I'll release the copyright for this song. I believe someone will buy it soon. Oh, and there's another good thing: the album royalties have been settled. If all goes well, they should be deposited into my account next Monday. It's about 1.3 million album royalties. After deducting taxes, it should be around 134 million yen."

Hanami Kaku told Kimura Hiroshi another piece of good news.

For this album, "What You Name," Hiroshi Kimura was the singer and composer of the title track, so he received 4% of the royalties. The album was priced at 2800 yen, which was almost double the price of his previous single. This allowed him to receive more than 100 million yen in royalties in one go.

This was truly great news, and Kimura Hiroshi immediately perked up. He had almost nothing left from the royalties of his first single, as he was either buying insider information or investing in movies. It seemed that he wouldn't be able to fulfill his promise to his fan, Hanano Yoko, to buy a house near her by the end of the year. But now that the money was in hand, buying a house could finally be put on the agenda.

"This is truly fantastic news, President. Please transfer the money as soon as possible." Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but reveal his money-grubbing nature. There's no way around it; some people might not love women, but who doesn't love money?

Well, seeing how eager Kimura Hiroshi was to get money, Hanami Kaku swallowed back his congratulatory words. This year, Kimura Hiroshi was the champion in record sales and the runner-up in record sales revenue, but it was clear that Kimura Hiroshi cared more about money than these so-called honors.

As for who took the sales crown, it was none other than Akina Nakamori, another top female idol from Ken-On. Her annual sales this year exceeded 7 billion yen, which is terrifying. However, Ken-On has not yet given her royalties, but Ken-On will give her some rewards, but these are still too little compared to royalties.

Chapter 71 This look is fantastic!

NHK, short for Japan Broadcasting Corporation, holds a very special position in Japan. As a public television station, it has the power to charge viewers nationwide for audiovisual services. Compared to other private television stations, it has a higher status and a larger scale.

It owns multiple television and radio channels, with each county having its own channel broadcasting the same programs. It is precisely because of this status that it is able to host grand music programs such as the Red and White Song Festival, which includes almost all the most popular singers.

Wearing sunglasses and a black trench coat, Hiroshi Kimura, disguised as a Ken-On staff member, entered the TV station's backstage area under Ms. Noriko's guidance. Today was the second rehearsal for the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle), and the backstage area was filled with assistants and managers of various artists, as well as TV station staff, making it seem somewhat chaotic.

The two quickly found Akiyuki Yoshizawa backstage, who was resting on a chair outside the dressing room. When he saw that Noriko had indeed brought Kimura Hiroshi in, he couldn't help but sigh.

“You and Akina-san are really going too far. If this gets out, it will be big news. You two are really not good people to behave.” Akiyuki Yoshizawa felt the pain of being Nakamori Akina’s manager.

This did indeed cause trouble for Akiyuki Yoshizawa. It was a bit of a blunder, but he had promised Nakamori Akina and had no choice but to come. Kimura Hiroshi also said somewhat embarrassedly, "This is the only time. I'm sorry to trouble you, Mr. Akiyuki. But don't worry, I will be very careful and won't be discovered."

"Then stay by my side. If we get spotted, I'll say I brought you here to meet some TV station staff for business." As expected of a seasoned agent, she quickly found a good way to avoid being discovered and becoming news.

Kimura Hiroshi naturally obeyed and stayed obediently by Akiyuki Yoshizawa's side. They chatted about Nakamori Akina's recent work schedule. Goodness, before the end of the year, she not only had to participate in various programs and shoot postcards for the new year, but also record a single that had to be released on January 1st.

This time, it wasn't that the schedule was deliberately packed so tightly, but rather that Akina Nakamori specially invited composer Lin Sizhe to create a song. It's a pure love song with a style that leans towards adulthood, intentionally reducing the girlish feel.

"The single should be Kita-Tsubasa, right? Akina-san is going to start transforming again." Kimura Hiro knew that starting with Kita-Tsubasa, Nakamori Akina began to move towards an adult style and abandon her girlish image. Although she later released Ten Commandments, that was the end of it. Almost all of her subsequent songs leaned towards an adult style.

Compared to his transformation, Akina Nakamori's transformation was much more successful. This song, "Kita Tsubasa," is considered a masterpiece. It competed with Hiroshi Itsuki's "Nagaragawa Enka" for the record award. Although it ultimately lost, it shows how popular the song was.

Just as Kimura Hiroshi was wondering where he fell short compared to Nakamori Akina, the dressing room door opened, revealing a line of female singers dressed in performance costumes. Kimura Hiroshi recognized many of them, having met them on television programs and even exchanged a few words with them.

A short while later, Akina Nakamori appeared, but Kimura Hiroshi was so startled by her appearance that he took two steps back.

Her hair was combed up high, gathered together, and then spread out, looking quite messy, like a peacock spreading its tail feathers, but missing a few feathers. It was also tied with a flower-like headdress, golden and sparkly, which was really eye-catching, but the quality was too cheap.

What's even more striking is the clothing, which is also predominantly gold with some black accents, revealing half of her shoulder. Her pants are entirely gold. Kimura Hiroshi only knew that Nakamori Akina wore a golden yellow dress during the 84 music festival and was called the "Golden Warrior." He never expected that it would start now, and this gold color is even more dazzling.

"Ah, Akina-san's eye is indeed sharp. This design is sure to leave a deep impression. It's excellent." Akira Yoshizawa praised from the side.

He felt like he'd been struck by lightning. Did Akina choose this herself? It's so outrageous! But then he realized what was going on. With so many popular female singers at the Kohaku Uta Gassen, it's hard to leave an impression if the styling doesn't highlight individuality. Besides, this kind of exaggerated styling is actually quite popular now. There were a few even more outrageous stylings when he walked past earlier, but he, Kimura Hiroshi, hadn't paid much attention.

As Nakamori Akina stepped out of the dressing room, she glanced around and spotted her manager. She smiled slightly, then saw Kimura Hiroshi standing next to Akiyuki Yoshizawa. Her smile widened, and she hurriedly ran over to greet him.

"Mr. Akiyuki, thank you for your hard work. Mr. Kimura, I'm so happy you actually came." Nakamori Akina greeted the two of them with a smile. She was genuinely happy, her eyes were practically squinting. Thankfully, while her outfit was a bit of a disaster, her makeup was fine, and she still looked beautiful.

"We came secretly, Akina-san, so don't be too loud. It wouldn't be good if someone found out," Kimura Hiroshi replied in a low voice.

This felt like doing something wrong. Nakamori Akina looked around, pointed to the left, and whispered, "Then Kimura-san, you'd better be careful. If you get caught, just run away. That's the staff passage. You won't be spotted if you go that way. I'll pretend to fall to cover for you."