My daily life with the original diva

So at this point, Takeshi Kitano started stammering, saying, "If we can't get it here, we can go somewhere else where we can. It's not like we have to eat here."

"Oh, why didn't you say anything before, Kitano-san? When I mentioned coming to this upscale restaurant, your eyes lit up, and you even loudly declared you wanted to eat Wellington steak. Now that you've finished your steak, you're starting to cause trouble for me, the chairman, huh? I see you're getting more and more formidable, Kitano-san," Kimura Hiroshi said coldly.

This tone sent a chill down Kitano Takeshi's spine. Just as Kimura had said, he hadn't said much when he arrived, but after a couple of drinks, his mind started wandering to women, and he couldn't control his mouth.

It was impossible for Takeshi Kitano to admit his mistake. He stood there frozen, not daring to look at Hiroshi Kimura, but he didn't say a word. This state of mind indicated that he had given up.

Too lazy to pursue the matter further, Kimura Hiroshi looked at everyone present and said, "I know you all want to have some fun, so in order not to spoil your mood, I asked Matsumoto-san to book a private room at a members-only club in advance. I heard that the women there are all writers, manga artists, and civil servants who work part-time, which is quite special. I thought I'd let you all experience it, but some guys always have to ruin the atmosphere, which is really annoying."

"Yes, everyone, the chairman has already arranged the seating for me. You can all go in a bit. There's a spending limit of one million yen per person. If you exceed that, you'll have to pay for it yourself. Have fun, everyone!" Matsumoto Takaaki, sitting next to Kimura Hiroshi, immediately chimed in to confirm that it was true.

Everyone's eyes lit up. There aren't many membership-based clubs like this in Tokyo, and the prices are naturally not cheap, especially since the women who provide companionship usually have respectable jobs, making it even more expensive.

"Ah, thank you so much, President. Thank you for your care."

"Yes, thank you for your consideration, Chairman. Shall we head over after we finish eating?"

The guys present were all very interested.

"You should have said so earlier, Chairman! If you had, I wouldn't have been complaining. Let's all go together later. Ah, this is the first time I've ever heard of a members-only club. It should give us a different experience, right?" Upon hearing that he could go to such a club, Takeshi Kitano started talking shamelessly, looking genuinely excited.

At this moment, Kimura Hiroshi really wanted to exclude Kitano Takeshi, but after thinking about it, he decided against it. That's just Kitano's personality; targeting him wouldn't really make much sense. So be it.

Chapter 668 Sing a Song for Me

After dinner, Kimura Hiroshi asked Matsumoto Takaaki to take the group of ladies-of-the-art guys to the members-only club, while he went straight home. Sato Kayo, who had come with him, was driving. As the president's secretary, she naturally had to drive him home since he had been drinking.

As a woman with a very gentle personality, Sato Kayo drives quite steadily, or to put it bluntly, very slowly. However, Kimura Hiroshi doesn't rush her and lets Sato Kayo drive as she pleases.

Sitting in the back was really boring, so he couldn't help but tease Sato Kayo, "I sent Matsumoto-san to lead those guys around. I wonder if Kayo-chan will have any complaints about me, since I'm the one who sent him to that kind of club."

"Sigh, why would the chairman say that? Isn't this just work-related socializing? Going to the club is part of the job. How could I blame the chairman? Besides, I believe Matsumoto-san isn't the kind of man who has no boundaries." Sato Kayo spoke quite calmly, which was clearly not a lie; she genuinely felt that it was just part of the job.

This left Kimura Hiroshi speechless for a moment. Sometimes, Japanese women are incredibly tolerant. They don't even mind if their boyfriends go to places of entertainment. It's just socializing, of course. But you can't do anything that crosses the line. Once you do, you'll be in trouble.

"I really trust you, Kayo-chan. But it's true, Matsumoto-san always acts with great discretion, so your trust is well-founded." Kimura Hiroshi leaned back in the back seat and stretched. He had a very high opinion of Matsumoto Takaaki.

Hearing Kimura Hiro say this, Sato Kayo seemed very happy, but it seemed that she had been with Matsumoto Takaaki for a long time and had even started to flatter him. "Matsumoto-san is not as good as the chairman, and as a husband, you have really reached the highest level. You didn't even have the idea of ​​going to a club."

Unable to bear it any longer, Kimura Hiroshi quickly said, "Kayo-chan, it's already after get off work. I'm Kimura-san, not the chairman. Don't say such overly flattering things; it feels very strange."

This amused Sato Kayo, who found Kimura Hiroshi to be a very interesting person—excellent, responsible, and without a strong tendency towards being a traditional, domineering man. No wonder Akina-chan was so devoted to him, once she made up her mind, she would never change it.

Chatting made the time seem shorter, and they soon arrived at the apartment building. Sato Kayo originally wanted to drive back, but Kimura Hiro stopped her and asked her to come up and sit for a while. He also wanted to chat with Nakamori Akina. He didn't want Nakamori Akina to stay at home alone all day long. Although Nakamori Akina didn't think it was a problem, Kimura Hiro knew that staying at home alone for too long could easily lead to social isolation and psychological problems, especially since Nakamori Akina had once been a superstar singer living in the spotlight.

Therefore, Hiroshi Kimura was looking for every opportunity to prevent Akina Nakamori from staying at home all the time. For example, right now, he was letting Kayo Sato go up and chat with Akina Nakamori, so that she could experience what it's like to be a working woman.

When Kimura Hiroshi brought Sato Kayo upstairs and opened the door, Nakamori Akina was overjoyed to see Sato Kayo and immediately pulled her inside, leaving her husband Kimura Hiroshi, who had just gotten off work, behind. However, Kimura Hiroshi didn't mind. He hung up his bag, made Sato Kayo a cup of tea, and let the two of them chat while he read a magazine a short distance away, not disturbing them.

When best friends chat, there are some things that even husbands shouldn't hear. Kimura Hiroshi is quite self-aware and gives his two best friends space to talk.

It has to be said that women can really talk a lot. The two didn't finish their conversation until Matsumoto Takaaki called to ask if Sato Kayo was with him. Sato Kayo was in a hurry to leave, obviously because her boyfriend had called to check on her and she couldn't stay any longer. Kimura Hiroshi escorted her downstairs and watched her drive away before going back inside.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw Akina Nakamori holding a water glass with a very strange smile on her face, as if she was savoring something. Seeing her like that, Hiroshi Kimura couldn't help but go up and pinch her nose. "Akina, what are you thinking about? Why are you smiling so strangely?"

Pushing Kimura Hiroshi's hand away, Nakamori Akina replied, "Ah, is that so? I don't think so, definitely not. How could I possibly show any strange smile?"

Kimura Hiroshi, still not admitting it, didn't bother to press further and went to take a shower. At that moment, Nakamori Akina took the initiative to confess, "I was thinking about how Kayo-chan, who was such a small girl back then, now has a boyfriend. When the phone rang, I felt a little strange, like my own daughter had been taken away. I don't think I should feel this way, but I can't help it. Hehe, Hiroshi, do you think there's something wrong with me?"

Needless to say, this is an overflow of maternal instinct. With nowhere to express her maternal love, she spills it over to her friends who are younger than her. Kimura Hiroshi was speechless. It didn't make sense. Nakamori Akina was only twenty-five this year, a young and beautiful woman. How could her maternal instincts be so strong? That was unacceptable.

But there was no cure. Kimura Hiroshi could only shake his head and walk toward the bathroom, saying as he went, "There's no hope, Akina. It seems we have to get you to have a baby soon."

"Hey, what do you mean by that, Hiro-kun? Humph, not being able to have children isn't my problem, it's your problem, Hiro-kun." Nakamori Akina pouted, looking angry.

After taking a shower for about ten minutes, I came out to find Akina Nakamori sitting on the sofa watching a TV series, a school romance drama starring Kyoko Koizumi. She was watching it with great interest, and seemed to be watching a funny scene, laughing particularly happily.

But when Kimura Hiroshi sat down next to her, she immediately stopped smiling and deliberately kept a small distance from him, indicating that she was very angry.

Without rushing to comfort her, Kimura Hiroshi started watching a TV drama, which was broadcast on TBS. Nowadays, TBS's drama slots are not as good as before. The reason is simple: the rise of drama programs on TV Asahi and Fuji TV has taken away a large number of viewers.

Of course, the culprit was none other than Hiroshi Kimura, who was sitting here watching a TBS TV drama. He was the one who almost created TV Asahi's drama program, quickly making Fuji TV's drama program popular and bringing a great impact to TBS TV.

However, this cannot be entirely blamed on him. After all, he had approached TBS Television for cooperation before, but they simply didn't think much of him and were unwilling to work with him. What could Kimura Hiroshi do but find another partner?

After watching the TV series for a while, another funny scene came on, and Nakamori Akina chuckled again. Unconsciously, she moved closer to Kimura Hiroshi, who then casually put his arm around her. Nakamori Akina leaned against Kimura Hiroshi's chest, as if nothing had happened. The two of them returned to normal.

At this moment, Hiroshi Kimura spoke up, "Kyoko-chan's acting is getting better and better. Akina, do you ever want to act in a TV drama again?"

"No way! I only agreed to act in it before because I was filming with Hiro-kun. Now that I'm married to you, you think I'd support the drama? That's impossible! I hate memorizing lines the most; it really makes my head spin." Nakamori Akina immediately stated that she didn't want to act without any hesitation.

Kimura Hiroshi was a little stunned by her decisiveness, then said with a look of sudden realization, "Sigh, so that's why Akina acted in the drama. Now that she has achieved her goal, she immediately showed her true colors. She's really despicable."

"Haha, how about that? It's too late for Hiro-kun to know now. I won't act in it, even if Hiro-kun asks me to." Nakamori Akina fiddled with Kimura Hiro's earlobe, looking smug.

"There's definitely no other way. We're already married, what else can we do?" Kimura Hiro hugged Nakamori Akina even tighter and said very seriously, "If you're not going to act in dramas, how about singing a song? We're planning to film a drama this year about the friendship between two women, and no one has sung the theme song yet, so we'd like Akina to help us out."

Naturally, Akina Nakamori could tell which of Hiroki Kimura's words were jokes and which were genuinely discussing matters with her. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Does he really want me to sing this? Aren't there any other suitable singers?"

"Yes, there is, but Akina hasn't sung in a long time. You like singing so much, so why don't you sing one or two songs occasionally? Besides, if someone else sings it, the money will go to those singers. It's better to give it to you, Akina. Tell Akina that this song is of very good quality and I think it will sell very well. So, let's sing it ourselves. I'll write it and you sing it, and that way all the money will be ours." Kimura Hiroshi whispered this in Nakamori Akina's ear, as if he were plotting something.

Hearing Kimura Hiro's theory, Nakamori Akina couldn't help but burst out laughing, grabbing Kimura Hiro's arm and shaking it. "Hiro-kun, you've really become more and more calculating after being chairman for so long. You don't even want to pay for the singers' performance fees. You're even more despicable than the president of the agency."

After saying that, she sighed again, "But what can I do? I'm the chairman's wife. I can't hold my husband back at this time, so I have no choice but to go along with you. So let me sing. Is the song easy to sing? Will it be difficult? Also, what is the tone of the TV series? What kind of feeling should I sing?"

As a former top-tier pop diva, even though she's married and hasn't sung for almost a year, she still manages to grasp the essentials of singing a song well. As soon as she opens her mouth, she captures all the key points of the song she's about to sing. If she handles these well, then she can basically sing the song well.

Seeing that Akina Nakamori had agreed, Hiroshi Kimura was very happy. He turned to look at Akina Nakamori and said, "Akina agreed, that's great! A single isn't so easy to sing. Let me tell you about the TV series first, and then we'll talk about the theme song."

Following that, Hiroshi Kimura briefly recounted the entire story of "A Rare Friend" to Akina Nakamori. The story is actually quite simple: two girls with different personalities meet by chance and become good friends. During this time, they encounter many things, and their relationship goes through ups and downs, but no matter what, they always care about each other.

The story didn't end well; it was a tragedy. At first, Akina Nakamori found it very interesting and listened attentively, but as she listened, her mood began to decline. By the time Hiroshi Kimura finished speaking, she couldn't hold back her tears.

"Why does Hiro-kun always write dramas with tragic endings? It makes me feel sad just listening to them. Why can't the endings of the stories be perfect?" Nakamori Akina complained.

This really stumped Hiroshi Kimura. Come on, all his dramas are tragedies. The ending of "Long Vacation" was alright, right? The ending of "Tokyo Love Story" wasn't great, but it wasn't a major tragedy either. They just went their separate ways in the end. As for "A Rare Friend," it was definitely a tragedy, but there was only one of them. Where are they all?

“Tragedies have their own power, you know. Maybe we can make a comedy sometime. But you’ve explained the story to Akina. So, what kind of feeling should you sing it with? Akina should have an idea by now. Let me sing the single for you briefly.” Without arguing with Akina about whether it was a tragedy or not, she started talking about the single.

Upon hearing this, Akina Nakamori's attention was immediately drawn. She began to listen to Hiroki Kimura sing a cappella. His singing was only passable, understandable enough, but after listening, Akina Nakamori immediately realized that the song was not so easy to sing.

"It'll be a bit difficult, Hiro-kun. Some of them are probably high notes. I've never been particularly good at high notes, but I should be able to sing them. I might need to recover beforehand, since I haven't used my voice in a long time and need some time to get it back in shape." Nakamori Akina assessed the situation. Although it was difficult, it wasn't impossible to sing.

"That means there's no problem," Kimura Hiroshi said happily. "Great! This is another collaboration between my wife and me. I'll be in charge of filming, and you'll be in charge of singing the theme song. It's a perfect combination. I think this drama will definitely get super high ratings again."

With Akina Nakamori's collaboration, this is her first single after marriage. The hype is sure to be huge, and it will also boost the TV drama's ratings. It's a perfect result.

Chapter 669 Current Status of Research and Sound

Starting to sing again isn't something you can just do on a whim. First, you need to find an agency for Nakamori Akina. Kimura Hiroshi originally wanted to set up an independent studio for Nakamori Akina, centered around her, so that there would be no need to find an agency to sign a contract and go through all the troublesome stuff.

However, Kimura Hiroshi's suggestion was rejected by Nakamori Akina as soon as he made it. Nakamori Akina did not intend to make a full comeback; she only wanted to cooperate with Kimura Hiroshi in producing a new TV series. It would be a waste to assign her several staff members, since she would spend most of her time at home as a housewife for Kimura Hiroshi, rather than as a singer.

“Let’s talk to Ken-On again. Occasionally, if I want to sing, they can handle the contact with the record company. Of course, I won’t accept any work assignments from the agency. Oh, and if I want to hold a small concert, Ken-On can organize it. Consider it a favor I’m doing for them.” Akina Nakamori thought it best to continue troubling her old agency.

However, her suggestion wasn't so fair to Ken-On. Kimura Hiroshi had some doubts about it, saying, "Well, Akina, while your idea is good, Ken-On might not accept it. After all, there are costs involved in producing an album. If you just sing and don't participate in other activities, that's probably unacceptable to the agency, right?"

"Oh, how could this be? Hiro-kun used to do this all the time, and I didn't see the president and the others say anything. Is it not possible now?" Nakamori Akina was a little curious because in her memory, Kimura Hiro used to do this often at the agency, and she thought she could do it too.

He slapped his forehead. So his wife had seen the treatment he had received, so she thought it wouldn't be a difficult thing. He was wrong. But what Nakamori Akina said wasn't wrong. He had enjoyed it, so there was no reason why Nakamori Akina couldn't enjoy it too.

So Kimura Hiroshi decided to give it a try. He said, "Yes, Akina should also enjoy this kind of treatment. After all, she made so much money for the agency before. I heard they even want to build a new company building. In that case, let's go to the agency together tomorrow and talk about it."

Kimura Hiroshi was quite confident about whether the negotiations would be successful. He had nothing to hide; he still had cards to play, and there was no reason why Ken-On would disagree. However, he hadn't been to Ken-On for a long time, so he wasn't entirely clear about the current situation there.

Having made up their minds, Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina didn't delay and immediately took action. Early the next morning, Kimura Hiroshi drove Nakamori Akina to Ken-On's office. Their place wasn't too far from Ken-On; it only took about half an hour to drive there.

The two appeared at the entrance of the agency, and the security guards at the door did not stop them. This was because the two were so famous in Ken-On that even though they had not been to the agency for almost a year, the security guards did not try to stop them.

As they entered the agency, passersby greeted them. After they passed, everyone looked quite surprised. They all knew that Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina were married and their contracts with the agency had expired. They hadn't seen them at the agency for a long time, so many people were speculating about what the two of them had come to do this time.

This time, things had changed at the agency. Instead of discussing business, the two of them went directly to the office that originally belonged to Kimura Hiroshi and his manager. However, everyone inside had changed, and there was only a junior assistant whom Kimura Hiroshi recognized.

So Hiroshi Kimura didn't rush to leave. Instead, he inquired about some things with his assistant. First of all, Michiko had already left Ken-On. It was said that she had gone to a small agency to become a manager. There was no reason for her not to change jobs after going from assistant to manager.

This left Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori looking at each other in bewilderment, as they were completely unaware of this matter. Since their marriage, they had rarely contacted Ms. Michiko, and when they did, she never mentioned it.

Ms. Noriko left with Akiyuki Yoshizawa, a fact known to both Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina. Many other people also left. Ken-On suffered a significant blow, losing so many experienced managers and assistants at once.

After a brief chat, Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina left the office. Outside, Kimura Hiroshi stroked his chin and said, "Akina, it seems our departure has hurt Ken-On a lot. All these people left Ken-On after we left."

Previously, Yanyin had two top-tier artists whose income and influence were comparable to those of large entertainment agencies. Losing both of them at once was a huge blow to Yanyin. Over the years, Yanyin has not been able to find successors for them. In the year they left, no outstanding new talents emerged. It was a rapid decline.

However, it's not to say that Ken-On's career has ended. After all, according to the original history, due to the conflict between Akina Nakamori and Ken-On, Ken-On disappeared for several years after leaving. But later, she signed a group of big-name actors and singers such as Yuki Uchida, Yuki Amami, and Ken Hirai, and took off again. This was all thanks to the solid foundation laid by Akina Nakamori back then, which essentially earned Ken-On enough money.

Now that Ken-On has Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori as its foundation, what Ken-On lacks now is probably not money, but representative figures. Once they find them, Ken-On will definitely expand at an extremely rapid pace and become a large agency.

“Yes, it seems our marriage has indeed caused a lot of trouble for the agency. So, it might not be so easy for us to talk about things later. Hiro-kun, should we just leave?” Nakamori Akina also sensed that Ken-on’s current predicament was caused by their marriage and departure, so she instinctively thought it would be better not to talk about it.

But Hiroshi Kimura still grabbed Akina Nakamori's hand and led her toward the president's office, saying as they walked, "Let's go take a look first, and talk about it later. We can also see President Hanami; it's been a long time since we've visited him."

The two walked hand in hand to the president's office. Without asking anyone to announce their arrival, Kimura Hiroshi went straight up and knocked on the door. Soon, Hanami Kaku's voice came from inside, inviting them to come in.

When the door opened, Hanami Kagami was stunned to find that the visitors were Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina. She stood up and said with a smile, "Oh, it's Kimura-san and Akina-chan! What brings you to Ken-On? I thought you would never set foot in Ken-On again. You are truly rare guests. Please sit down and I'll have my secretary pour you some water."

Hanami Kaku seemed to have no complaints about Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina. On the contrary, seeing that the two of them were very happy, he invited them to sit down and asked his secretary to pour them water. Hanami Kaku remembered Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina's tastes quite well, and the drinks that the secretary brought were the ones that the two of them liked to drink.

"President Hanami, it's been a long time. You look very tired. How have you been lately?" Seeing that Hanami Kagami's complexion was not good and his hair was even more gray than when she saw him at the wedding, Nakamori Akina asked with concern.

With a casual wave of her hand, Hanami Kagami said, "Oh, it's nothing. I've just been a bit busy lately, so I look a little tired. It's alright, thank you for your concern, Akina-chan."

"Ah, you've been very busy lately. Has Ken-on had something important happen to you? Have you found another suitable new talent to train?" Kimura Hiroshi was quite curious as to why Ken-on was so busy these days.

Unexpectedly, Hanami Kagami gave a wry smile. "If only we could find suitable newcomers to train, that would be great. Unfortunately, you and Akina-san are indeed two very unique newcomers. It's probably impossible to find two such rare talents like you again. I've been quite busy lately, recording some company information, organizing documents, and preparing for the handover of the firm."

Immediately, Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina exchanged a glance, and Nakamori Akina asked incredulously, "Eh, handover, President, do you mean you're leaving Ken-On?"

"Yes, I'm leaving Ken-On. Haha, after working here for so many years, it's really hard to leave. But it's okay, I'm getting old, it's time to retire." Hanami Kaku seemed to be taking it all in stride, as if leaving Ken-On wasn't a big deal, but Kimura Hiroshi saw the reluctance in his eyes.

"Why, President? Is it because of us? Is it because we left Ken-On?" Nakamori Akina asked anxiously, feeling as if she had done something wrong and caused great trouble for others.

Seeing Akina Nakamori's expression, Hanami Kagami quickly said, "No, no, even if the two of you don't leave, I will leave within the next two years. Akina, as you know, I was only invited here to manage the agency. Ken-on doesn't belong to me, but to the Sasakawa Group. The agency is almost done running, so naturally I have to leave."

That being said, Hanami Kagami's departure was also closely related to the departures of Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina. After all, their departures caused Ken-On's revenue to plummet instantly, which was unacceptable to the Sasakawa Group. With the economy currently in a downturn, the entertainment industry is booming, and they desperately wanted Ken-On to generate more revenue to provide them with a profit center, but Ken-On certainly couldn't do that right now.

If the two of them were still here, Hanami Kagami might have been able to work at Ken-On for a few more years, and retiring at seventy wouldn't have been a problem. But now, the Sasakawa Foundation feels that he failed to manage his artists well, causing Ken-On to suffer such a huge loss, so naturally he has to take the blame and therefore they want him to retire early.

“Yes, the management of the agency won’t change much just because two artists leave, so Akina, you don’t need to worry too much. However, if you leave, Akina will need to find another agency to take over her singing career. I don’t trust anyone other than President Hanami,” Kimura Hiroshi said thoughtfully.

"What? Akina, you want to make a comeback?" Upon hearing this news, Hanami Kagami immediately stood up from his chair, his face showing great surprise, which startled both Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina.

Realizing his loss of composure, Hanami Kagami quickly sat down. He calmed himself down and then smiled bitterly. "So be it, I'll make a comeback. It has nothing to do with me anymore. But I don't recommend Akina make a comeback at Ken-On. Although I have a good relationship with Mr. Nozaki and we are friends, I don't think he is a trustworthy business partner. He is too profit-driven."

"I see. Then we'll have to find another partner. Thank you for your advice, President. But are you really retiring? If you still want to work, I can help you find a job. It's not the president, but it's definitely a management position." Kimura Hiroshi still had a friendship with Hanami Kagami, and he could help Hanami Kagami, who was not far from retirement, find a job.