My daily life with the original diva

They didn't recognize Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina, so the two of them, like the other anglers, found a secluded spot. The location wasn't great, and it was overgrown with weeds, so nobody wanted to fish there. But that's exactly what Kimura Hiroshi had his eye on. He'd never fished there before, so maybe it was a perfect spot?

Ignoring the stares of others, the two followed the instructions of the seafood shop owner, first scattering bait, then waiting a while before casting their lines and waiting for the fish to bite.

While they were doing this, several people caught fish, some big and some small, which made Akina Nakamori very envious. She really wanted to catch a fish.

"Ah, it's biting! The float is sinking! Akina, pull it up quickly!" Just as Akina Nakamori was watching others fish, her float sank without her noticing. Luckily, Hiroshi Kimura had been watching closely and quickly told her to pull it up.

"Ah, there's a fish! So fast! Ah, there really is a fish! What great strength! Hiro-kun, come help me! Catch it! Don't let the big fish get away! You're mine!" Nakamori Akina was incredibly excited to experience this feeling for the first time, and she started frantically trying to catch it, asking Kimura Hiro to help her.

After a flurry of activity, they finally managed to catch the strong fish. It was still jumping around when it reached the shore, and Akina Nakamori quickly went to grab it. However, the fish was very uncooperative, jumping and jumping, and Akina Nakamori couldn't catch it at all.

"Let me do it, let me do it, with a rag, what a big fish! I estimate it weighs about a kilogram. Akina is really amazing, the first fish she caught is this big." Kimura Hiroshi praised Nakamori Akina without reservation while controlling the lively fish.

This made Akina Nakamori very happy. Watching Hiro Kimura control the fish, she said happily, "Yes, yes, thank you Hiro-kun too. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have been able to catch it. Let's quickly put it in the fish basket so it doesn't die. How about we eat it tonight?"

"No problem, let's put it... Ah, another fish has taken the bait, it's my fishing rod." Just as Kimura Hiroshi put the fish into the fish basket, his float sank. Kimura Hiroshi quickly went over to pull it up. This time it was still a big fish, but not as big as the one Nakamori Akina caught. Kimura Hiroshi didn't have to put in much effort to catch it.

Then, it seemed that their novice fishing protection period had ended, and they actually caught four fish in a row, which allowed them to really enjoy fishing. Of course, this also attracted the attention of all the anglers around them. There was no way around it; the speed at which they caught fish was just too fast. They had been fishing here for so long, but they had never seen fish catch so quickly.

They caught six fish, but Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina were exhausted. Looking at the many fish in the fish basket, Nakamori Akina suggested that they stop fishing. They couldn't eat all the fish they caught, and if they continued to catch more, the fish might die, which would be a waste. They decided to try again tomorrow.

Kimura Hiroshi agreed, so the two of them fished for about half an hour before packing up and leaving, planning to come back the next day. However, what they didn't know was that their fishing spot had already been taken by someone else as soon as they left.

Chapter 652 Records with Sales Exceeding Two Million

The main dish for dinner was stewed river fish, the result of Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina's morning's work. The family hadn't expected that the two of them could actually catch fish, and so many at that. Although the taste of river fish was not quite as good as that of sea fish, everyone praised them highly.

This made Akina Nakamori extremely happy. She loved the feeling of being praised by her family for doing something, and immediately said that she wanted to continue fishing so that her family could keep eating the free fish they caught.

What she didn't know was that although Japanese people love to eat fish, they would eventually get tired of it if they ate it all the time. Besides, she might be incredibly lucky today, but she might not be able to catch any tomorrow. After all, once they discovered the fishing spot and saw how many fish they had caught, other people would definitely go fishing there too.

Just as Kimura Hiroshi had expected, Nakamori Akina woke up early the next morning and hurriedly urged Kimura Hiroshi to go fishing with her again. There was no one at their fishing spot from the previous day, so the two of them continued fishing there, with Nakamori Akina hoping to catch another big fish.

The two waited for two whole hours, but only one fish took the bait and they hadn't caught anything yet. As the sun got higher and higher and it got hotter, Kimura Hiroshi pulled Nakamori Akina to go back, but Nakamori Akina insisted on continuing to fish for a while.

“Young man, stop fishing. After you left yesterday, two guys fished here all day. Even if there were any fish, they were all caught yesterday. So, you either need to find a new fishing spot or go back now.” Just as Kimura Hiroshi was about to continue fishing with Nakamori Akina, an old man came over and told them what had happened after they left yesterday.

This left Nakamori Akina completely bewildered. She never expected that after she left, someone would secretly fish there, and have been fishing for a whole day. They probably fished all the fish out of the area.

"How could they do this? It was clearly me and Hiro-kun who found this place, why are they fishing here? Now we can't catch a single fish, it's outrageous!" Nakamori Akina couldn't help but curse.

Seeing that she was really angry, Kimura Hiroshi quickly patted her shoulder to calm her down, and then said, "This is a public place, not our home, so there's nothing we can do if others want to fish here. Okay, since we can't fish here, let's go fish somewhere else this afternoon. Isn't this the place we found ourselves?"

With Kimura Hiroshi's comforting words, Nakamori Akina calmed down a bit and replied, "Alright, then let's find another place this afternoon. This time, when we find a place, we'll only catch two fish so those guys don't know we can catch a lot of fish."

Now it seems that this is all they can do. The two drove home, and when the weather wasn't too hot in the afternoon, they drove out again to look for places to fish. However, it seemed that the novice protection period had passed. They searched three or four places in the afternoon, but only caught a small fish weighing less than half a pound. This made Nakamori Akina very disappointed.

There's no way around it. One day you can catch more fish than you can eat, but the next day you only have one half-pound fish, not even enough for the whole family to share. This feeling of going from heaven to hell every day is definitely not a pleasant one.

However, Kimura Hiroshi didn't think much of it, because he knew that's how anglers are: if you find a good spot, you can catch fish one after another; if you don't find a good spot, you'll go home empty-handed and get nothing but fish food.

She fished for three more days in a row, but no matter how hard she tried, she caught more fish than on the first day. Nakamori Akina was in a bad mood for several days in a row. It was only after Kimura Hiro promised her that he would take her fishing for big fish in the sea when they went on vacation to Hawaii this winter that Nakamori Akina's mood improved a bit. She was really looking forward to what it would feel like to fish for big fish in the sea.

They spent about a week at their hometown in Kasukabe, which was quite relaxing and simple. Apart from fishing, which slightly affected their mood, everything else was enjoyable. However, this kind of happiness was destined not to last, because they had been on vacation for more than a month, including their honeymoon. It wasn't that there was nothing for them to do in Tokyo; in fact, someone had called several times to urge them to get back to work.

Unfortunately, Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori had to end their honeymoon and drive back to Tokyo. However, they weren't too sad about parting, as Tokyo was only an hour's drive away, and they had plenty of free time, so they could come back anytime they wanted.

When they drove back, they didn't go straight to Tokyo. Instead, they went to Kiyose first to visit Akina Nakamori's mother, Chieko, and gave her the local specialties they had brought back from various places. They had lunch together before returning to their home in Tokyo.

The trip wasn't too long, so the dust in the house wasn't too bad. However, Nakamori Akina couldn't stand it, so she spent another afternoon cleaning. Fortunately, she had rested for so long before, spending her days fishing, enjoying the scenery, and relaxing, so the two of them were full of energy and didn't feel particularly tired from cleaning.

"Is Akina coming to Warner with me tomorrow? I need to discuss a collaboration with them," Kimura Hiroshi asked before going to bed that night.

Akina Nakamori originally wanted to refuse, but after thinking about it for a moment, she replied, "Okay, I haven't been to Warner for a long time either, so I'll just go and see how everyone's work is going. By the way, has Mr. Akio left Ken-On? He hasn't called me at all."

Kimura Hiroshi was naturally not very clear about this either. There was nothing he could do; like Nakamori Akina, he had been traveling around for almost two months and was really not aware of what was happening in Tokyo.

"I don't know either. I'll ask Mr. Tomioka when I meet him tomorrow," Kimura Hiroshi replied.

Upon hearing this answer, Akina Nakamori did not press further. In fact, she understood that as she showed signs of retiring, the staff who had surrounded her would leave one by one, either to work for other artists or to leave Ken-On. After they left, it would not be so easy to keep in touch with them properly.

The two didn't say anything more, slept well, and adjusted their state. The next morning, Kimura Hiroshi made breakfast, and then the two set off for Warner together. On the way, Kimura Hiroshi called Tomioka Yukio to tell him when he and Nakamori Akina would arrive.

When they arrived at Warner, Yukio Tomioka and two staff members greeted them in the lobby. Although they were already very familiar with Warner and didn't need any reception, they were welcome.

"Kimura-san, Akina-san, you're finally back. It seems your honeymoon was really enjoyable. It's been over a month since you started working. If you hadn't come back soon, I would have come looking for you myself," Yukio Tomioka said with a wry smile.

Before Kimura Hiroshi went on his honeymoon, Tomioka Yukio had already discussed the collaboration with him. He originally thought that Kimura Hiroshi would return soon and then they could start working together, but he didn't expect that the two of them would be gone for almost two months, which made him wait a long time.

Nakamori Akina seemed a little embarrassed and smiled shyly, but Kimura Hiroshi was quite frank and said, "Yes, we had a lot of fun. I haven't had such a long vacation since I became an entertainer. Since it's our honeymoon, we should have played until we didn't want to play anymore before coming back. Actually, we came back too early. We should have played longer."

Still playing? This is a vacation that many Japanese people can only dream of. Yukio Tomioka really admires Hiroshi Kimura. He is truly relaxed and seems to have no high demands for profit and power. After establishing his basic business empire, this guy has not made any further expansion moves and is completely in a state of maintaining the status quo.

"You really are dashing. But now that you're back, let's talk about collaboration. Oh, and I haven't congratulated Kimura-san yet. Congratulations on your single 'Sudden Love' surpassing two million copies in sales, becoming the first single of the 1990s to achieve this milestone," Yukio Tomioka said excitedly.

Two million copies of a single sold! That's been years since we've had one. It's amazing that Kimura Hiroshi achieved this goal so early in the 1990s, a feat that other singers could only dream of.

"Ah, Hiro-kun's single sales have exceeded two million copies! This is truly fantastic news! Congratulations, Hiro-kun, on achieving such a great feat!" Nakamori Akina was overjoyed upon hearing the news and immediately congratulated Kimura Hiro.

Hiroshi Kimura put his arm around Akina Nakamori's shoulder and said, "I also want to thank Akina. If it weren't for the high ratings of the drama we starred in, I probably wouldn't have been able to achieve this. But the fact that the sales reached two million copies so quickly is really beyond my expectations."

"No, no, I just acted with Hiroki, I didn't do anything special," Nakamori Akina repeatedly said, but Kimura Hiroki ignored her and insisted on pinning the credit on her.

The two of them chatted on and on, their affectionate display making Yukio Tomioka and the other two staff members feel a little awkward. They thought, "No wonder they're a newlywed couple, their relationship is really good. But we're here to discuss a collaboration, not to watch these two big stars show off their love."

“Gentlemen, gentlemen, it’s getting late. How about we go upstairs and talk things over first? As for Kimura-san’s single breaking two million copies, I’ll treat you to dinner after we’ve finished talking, as a celebration. What do you think?” Tomioka Yukio had to interject.

Kimura Hiroshi didn't forget they were there to work, so he didn't waste any more time and nodded in agreement. Then the group went upstairs, but while Kimura Hiroshi went to talk to someone, Nakamori Akina didn't go. She went to find some familiar staff members. She had recorded quite a few songs with Warner Music before, so she knew quite a few of them.

Upon arriving at the conference room, Hiroshi Kimura and Yukio Tomioka officially began their discussions. The matter was quite simple: Warner Music wanted Hiroshi Kimura to continue writing singles for artists signed with Warner Music, and Warner Music was willing to offer very generous compensation—eight percent of the record sales.

With such a high revenue share, it's as if all the creator's and singer's share went to Hiroshi Kimura. In addition, Warner Music gave up 2% of the revenue share, which is incredibly generous. With such a revenue share, if the album sales don't exceed 200,000 copies, it probably won't be profitable. At least 200,000 copies need to be sold to break even.

Faced with such sincerity, what could Hiroshi Kimura say? He offered to provide five singles to Warner Music artists each year, but the artists had to be approved by him. Yukio Tomioka agreed. These conditions had been approved by Warner Music executives long ago, and now they were simply being formally included in the contract.

Since that's the case, there's nothing to argue about. After reviewing the contract provided by Warner and confirming that there were no problems, Kimura Hiroshi signed it. Tomioka Yukio was overjoyed. In this way, they could finally sign a contract with Kimura Hiroshi without going through Ken-On. However, this was also because Kimura Hiroshi's contract with Ken-On had expired in June, and he had not renewed it.

After signing the contract, Yukio Tomioka was very happy and said, "Thank you for your trust, Kimura-san. So, do you still want to sign an artist contract with Ken-On? If not, we can find you an agency that doesn't have many restrictions."

"There's no need. If I still want to sing, I will still collaborate with Ken-On, but as an independent musician, not an artist. After all, Ken-On nurtured me back then, and although I made a lot of money for them, I still have some feelings for them." Kimura Hiroshi rejected this suggestion.

Since that's the case, Yukio Tomioka didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he continued, "As for Akina-san, she probably doesn't have any new plans right now. If she doesn't want to work as an artist anymore, Warner Music can invite her to join our company to work behind the scenes in record production. With Akina-san's talent, she'll definitely shine in that kind of work."

Akina Nakamori had previously planned several of her own albums, which were quite successful. So now Yukio Tomioka has his eye on her, hoping that she will continue to work for Warner Music.

However, this is a decision that Nakamori Akina needs to make herself. Kimura Hiroshi wouldn't make decisions for Nakamori Akina so casually, so he replied, "I will pass it on to Akina and see what she wants to do."

Chapter 653 So what if I saw it?

After finishing his contract discussion with Yukio Tomioka, Hiroshi Kimura left the conference room, intending to find Akina Nakamori, but he didn't know where she was. He could only call her; having a mobile phone made communication much easier.

"I'm in the recording studio on the fourth floor. Has Hiro-kun finished his business? I'll be right there." Nakamori Akina told him where she was when she received the call.

"I'll come find you. Akina doesn't need to come over. I'm going to check on the recording anyway. Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've been to the recording studio." Instead of having Akina Nakamori come to him, Hiroshi Kimura decided to go and check on things himself.

After hanging up the phone, Kimura Hiroshi went to the recording studio on the fourth floor and, sure enough, saw Nakamori Akina there. She was sitting with a group of Warner Recording Studio staff, and someone was singing inside the studio. They were probably recording a single. It was a young girl whom Kimura Hiroshi didn't recognize; she was probably a newcomer.

Every year, a large number of new singers emerge in the Japanese music scene, but only a few become famous. Therefore, most of the singers are actually unknown to Hiroshi Kimura.

The staff in the recording studio recognized Hiroshi Kimura and wanted to get up to greet him, but Hiroshi Kimura waved him off. He quietly went to Akina Nakamori's side, asked a staff member for an earphone, put it on, and prepared to listen to how the young girl sang.

When Kimura Hiroshi put it on, he almost died. This girl had a sweet look and good appearance, but her singing voice was really hard to accept. Not only was her pitch bad, but her voice was also a bit hoarse, like a smoker's voice, as if she had smoked too much.

His expression showed some unbearable discomfort, while Nakamori Akina appeared much calmer. She was listening attentively to the little girl singing inside and did not show any signs of discomfort.

This puzzled Hiroshi Kimura. Singing like that was basically beyond saving. A few days ago, he could still follow the idol route, as long as he was good-looking and had a distinctive style. But this year, it's probably going to be difficult. If you can't sing well, you've basically lost the right to become popular. Starting this year, it's the era of singers with real talent.

After a while, the little girl inside finished singing, and Kimura Hiroshi breathed a sigh of relief. Nakamori Akina also stood up. Only then did she realize that Kimura Hiroshi was next to her. She was startled at first, then smiled and said, "Hiroshi-kun, you came all the way here without even saying hello. You scared me."

"Ah, I thought Akina saw me. I walked right up to you. It seems Akina was listening very attentively. She didn't even notice me coming over." Kimura Hiroshi was surprised that Nakamori Akina hadn't noticed him coming over.

With an "I see" expression, Nakamori Akina said, "I see. You were indeed listening very attentively. Ah, I'll go and chat with Ms. Kumiko first. Hiro-kun, wait for me here."

After saying that, she put down her headphones and walked towards the girl named Kumiko who had just left the recording studio. When the girl saw Nakamori Akina, her face showed surprise and admiration. She bowed slightly, just like a junior meeting a senior.

Kimura Hiroshi was a little confused. He shouldn't know Kumiko or Nakamori Akina, so why did he have to go over and talk to them?

Unable to contain his curiosity, he grabbed a staff member next to him and asked him what had happened. It turned out that Nakamori Akina had come here to chat with an acquaintance, but unexpectedly ran into the newcomer Kumiko and her manager who were there to record a single.

Kumiko was a fan of Akina Nakamori, so she came up to greet her. Her manager was also very capable and immediately took the opportunity to invite Akina Nakamori to come over and give the newcomer some guidance. To everyone's surprise, Akina Nakamori agreed right away.

"She really is kind-hearted, taking too much care of her juniors. But I'm afraid it's no use taking care of Ms. Kumiko. Her voice is really not suitable for a singing career. She might have some hope if she went into acting." Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but think to himself.

After chatting for a while, Kimura Hiroshi didn't know what Nakamori Akina and that Ms. Kumiko had talked about. After they finished, she happily came to Kimura Hiroshi's side, let out a long sigh and said, "I really didn't expect that teaching a newcomer would be such a hard thing. It's so tiring. I have to be careful with my words so as not to discourage her too much, or I'm afraid she will lose her passion for singing."

Goodness, Nakamori Akina clearly sensed that the other person's singing wasn't good, and probably spent a long time figuring out how to give feedback. You know, Nakamori Akina is a very straightforward person, and because she speaks too directly, she's been considered impolite by many and has offended quite a few people. After all, Japanese people don't like that kind of blunt way of speaking.

To be considerate of her juniors' feelings, she had to carefully consider what she said, which really put her through a lot of hardship. Even Kimura Hiroshi felt sorry for her.

"Akina is as kind to her juniors as ever, but it's better to be direct sometimes. For example, this Ms. Kumiko, well, to be honest, she should stop singing and become an actress instead," Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but say directly.

However, this obviously did not gain Nakamori Akina's approval. She said very seriously, "Hiro-kun, don't say that. When I participated in the audition, the judges didn't like my singing either. They thought I sang very badly. If I hadn't persisted, I probably wouldn't have been able to debut. So we can't say that other people's singing is bad. They have their own characteristics."

It's true that those who have experienced hardship themselves become very considerate of others. They don't even have the thought of taking someone else's umbrella just because they've been rained on themselves. This kind of personality is something that Kimura Hiroshi really admires. Selfishness is instinct, but being able to consider others from one's own perspective is a truly rare quality.

Unable to resist gently rubbing Akina Nakamori's face, Hiroshi Kimura said with a smile, "Okay, I won't say it again."

Unexpectedly, Kimura Hiroshi suddenly rubbed his face. There were still many familiar faces around. Nakamori Akina felt a little embarrassed, but she wasn't angry. Instead, she said, "Let's hurry up and leave, so as not to delay their work."

Then she pulled Kimura Hiroshi away from the recording studio. As they walked down the corridor, Nakamori Akina seemed to have thought of something and said, "Actually, I should have just said it directly: Ms. Kumiko is really not suited for singing. But seeing how passionate she is about singing, I couldn't bear to hurt her confidence."

Deep down, Kimura Hiroshi chuckled, "I guess I still think she's not suited for singing." When Nakamori Akina auditioned, the judges didn't like her style, but they weren't too critical of her singing. This Kumiko, on the other hand, is completely unqualified in terms of singing, and her basic skills are practically nonexistent. Passion alone is useless; talent is very important when it comes to singing.

"Akina likes to take care of newcomers, which is great, but sometimes, if something isn't suitable, it just isn't suitable. She should say it tactfully to avoid them running into obstacles in unsuitable situations. Finding the right path for themselves as soon as possible is actually very beneficial for their future," Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but offer this advice.

Akina Nakamori took Kimura Hiro's words to heart and couldn't help but nod slightly. After walking for a while, she suddenly stopped, looked up at Kimura Hiro, and said, "Hiro-kun, should I go back and talk to Ms. Kumiko again? I just encouraged her and pointed out some problems with her singing. I'm afraid my encouragement might have hurt her. Should we go back and remind her again?"

Kimura Hiroshi was speechless at Nakamori Akina's excessive concern. It was completely unnecessary. He quickly put his arm around Nakamori Akina's waist and pulled her forward.

As they walked, Hiroshi Kimura said, "Encouragement is enough. If we go back and say anything more, it will seem like we're being overly concerned. We're not that familiar with each other, and saying too much will only make people feel uncomfortable. It's good enough to leave an impression of caring for a junior. Besides, even if we say something, she can't change anything because it's her manager who decides her career direction. So Akina shouldn't go back."

She knew that Kimura Hiroshi was right, but Nakamori Akina still felt uneasy, as if she felt that what she said would affect other people's lives. This was indeed a bit too much of a concern.

This forced Kimura Hiroshi to try to distract Nakamori Akina. On the elevator downstairs, Kimura Hiroshi asked, "Akina was watching the recording so intently just now. Has Akina ever thought about participating in some behind-the-scenes production work for records?"

"Ah, why did Hiro suddenly bring this up?" Nakamori Akina's attention was indeed diverted; she didn't know why Kimura Hiro would suddenly bring this up.

So Hiroshi Kimura relayed what Yukio Tomioka had just said to Akina Nakamori: he invited her to join Warner Music, participate in record production, and utilize the talent she had when she produced her own records.

In response, Akina Nakamori immediately replied, "No way! I already told Hiroki that I want to be a housewife and I don't want to do any work, at least not right now. I don't even want to participate in record production."

It seems his mind hasn't changed, so Kimura Hiroshi naturally respects Nakamori Akina's decision and says, "Alright then, I'll go and decline Mr. Tomioka's offer. Akina, you can do whatever you want. By the way, Mr. Tomioka invited us to dinner tonight. Would Akina like to join us?"

"Sigh, a social event, is it okay for men to bring their wives along?" Nakamori Akina was quite surprised to hear that Kimura Hiroshi wanted to take her to the event. In Japan, it is extremely rare for men to invite their wives to such social events, unless it is a private family gathering.