My daily life with the original diva

Chapter Seventy-Seven: A Chat Between Sisters

Despite an unexpected injury that caused her leg pain and made life very inconvenient, these past few days have become the most relaxed and happy days Nakamori Akina has experienced since her debut.

Finally, she could rest properly, watch her favorite TV programs every day, sleep in late, and most importantly, receive care and food every day. She received two phone calls from Kimura Hiroshi every day, as well as a full meal or snack brought by Ms. Noriko.

However, in order to prevent that guy from complaining about her weight again, she only ate a little each time, and most of it actually ended up in the stomachs of her assistant, Ms. Noriko, and her manager, Ms. Akiyuki Yoshizawa.

The only regret is that Kimura Hiroshi has been participating in many programs recently, and with paparazzi following him, he doesn't dare to visit easily. Otherwise, it would be even better.

Nakamori Akina unusually didn't sleep in today because someone was coming to visit her, forcing her to get up early.

"Ding-dong, ding-dong." The doorbell rang, and Nakamori Akina immediately smiled, leaning on the cane that the agency had given her to make it easier for her to move around, and opened the door.

"Ah, Kyoko-chan, you're here so early." It was none other than her good friend, Kyoko Koizumi.

Seeing Akina Nakamori leaning on a cane, Kyoko Koizumi quickly went over to help her, apologizing as she said, "Be careful, Akina-chan. I heard you were injured and I've wanted to come see you for a long time, but the agency has had too many events scheduled for me, so I only had time to come today. I'm really sorry."

"Don't say that. I'm just happy that Koko-chan came today." The two of them, one leaning on a cane and the other on support, walked into the living room.

After presenting the gifts, the two sat down at the table, poured the drinks they had prepared, and started chatting in the living room. Nakamori Akina complained about how inconvenient things were after her injury, while Koizumi Kyoko complained about how many events her agency had scheduled for the end of the year.

Just as the two were chatting happily, the apartment door opened, and after the sound of the door opening, Ms. Noriko's voice could be heard, "Akina-san, I'm here! Kimura-san prepared some very special food for you today, food I've never seen before..."

As Ms. Noriko changed into her slippers and walked in, she suddenly noticed that there were two people in the living room, the other of whom was none other than the familiar Kyoko Koizumi. She immediately shut her mouth.

As Nakamori Akina's assistant, she was one of only two people with a key to the apartment. To prevent the injured Nakamori Akina from opening the door, she would always open the door and then greet her. She never expected that there would be someone else in the apartment today.

But she had already spoken, and Nakamori Akina heard it, as did Koizumi Kyoko. She looked at the lunchbox in Noriko's hand, and then suddenly looked at Nakamori Akina meaningfully.

Knowing she had made a mistake, Ms. Noriko quickly stepped forward to greet her, "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Kyoko. Ah, I'm just here to deliver food to Ms. Akina. I'll leave after I've delivered it and won't disturb your conversation any longer."

After saying that, he placed the lunchbox on the table, bowed, and fled the scene at an extremely fast speed, closing the door much louder than usual.

Looking at the lunchbox on the table, Kyoko Koizumi glanced meaningfully at Akina Nakamori. She seemed to know something and couldn't help but tease her friend, "What did I just hear? Kimura-san prepared food for Akina-chan, and it looks like it's not the first time. You two, could it be...?"

"No, no, Kyoko-chan, Kimura-san and I are just friends, well, close friends." Nakamori Akina blushed slightly and quickly explained.

But Kyoko Koizumi clearly didn't believe it. Even the closest friends wouldn't care this much, going so far as to make something and deliver it personally. She wouldn't do that, let alone a young man.

So she pretended to believe her, nodded and said, "Oh, I see. If they're just friends, then you wouldn't mind if Kimura-san knows a few girls who like him, would you?"

"Oh, what do you mean by that, Kyoko-chan?" Nakamori Akina seemed to have received a dangerous signal and asked very seriously.

"Don't you know, Akina-chan? Kimura-san is very popular. Many girls who don't know him well ask me about him, saying they want to get to know him. I wonder how many of them want to be Kimura-san's girlfriend," Koizumi Kyoko said exaggeratedly.

It's true that some girls hope to get to know Hiroshi Kimura through her, but Kyoko knows that many of them have ulterior motives. Some may be interested in Hiroshi Kimura, but many more want to use his fame to boost their own. So she would never introduce them to Hiroshi Kimura.

Hearing Koizumi Kyoko say this, Nakamori Akina felt a strong sense of crisis. She knew that Kimura Hiroshi's excellence must be very attractive to girls.

But she didn't want to directly break the ice yet, because she could sense that Kimura-san seemed to have reservations about relationships right now, and had a faint sense of distance from her. He seemed to want to get closer to her, but didn't quite dare to.

"Akina-chan, friends won't cook for each other forever, even the best of relationships probably won't last. You have to seize the opportunity," Koizumi Kyoko encouraged her, having seen through her friend's thoughts.

With a sigh of relief, Akina Nakamori smiled and said, "I know, Kyoko-chan. I believe I can do it by then."

After saying that, she took the food box, opened it and said, "Let's see what Kimura-san made today. It'll be perfect for Kyoko-chan to try it too."

The food box was opened, revealing a main meal: sweet and sour pork, stir-fried lettuce with pork, clam and tofu soup, and a plate of golden-yellow pancakes that looked like pumpkins.

Seeing the dishes inside, Kyoko Koizumi suddenly felt a little jealous. It was probably extremely rare in Japan for a boy to put so much effort into cooking such a meal for a girl, because many boys wouldn't even cook, let alone put in the effort.

Nakamori Akina picked up the plate of pancakes and smelled them. Her eyes lit up immediately. "Wow, it's pumpkin! It smells like pumpkin and has the sweetness of glutinous rice. What a unique dish! I've never seen anything like it before. Kyoko-chan, come and try it with me!"

As she spoke, she picked up a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Kyoko Koizumi. The two of them picked up pumpkin cakes, took a bite, and found them soft, sweet, and delicious, just like the tastes of Japanese people. Kyoko couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so delicious! I've never eaten pumpkin like this before. Akina-san, hurry up and win Kimura-san's heart. When you get married, I can come and mooch a meal from you."

This was her sincere thought. At least for the sake of these meals, Akina-chan should win over Kimura-san. Otherwise, if he runs off with someone else, she might never have the chance to eat them again.

"Cough cough, Kyoko-chan, what are you saying?" Nakamori Akina almost choked. Kyoko-chan was really too bold to say such a thing.

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Cooling Down the Heat and Buying Real Estate

In the new week, Hiroshi Kimura participated in the popular music show HIT, as well as the latest Top Ten and The Best Ten episodes. His popularity and exposure at the end of this year far exceed those of any other idols and artists, creating a huge buzz.

However, Hiroshi Kimura knew that this kind of hype actually consumed the enthusiasm of fans and ordinary viewers, because people's enthusiasm for a person or thing cannot last forever. After a while, there will be a period of fatigue, and this period can be long or short.

Some may only last a few months, such as some internet celebrities in later generations and ordinary idols today. They are like fast-moving consumer goods; once they are used up, they disappear without a trace.

Some might last a year or two, like the later famous Onyanko Club, which was founded in 85 and became incredibly popular, with only Akina Nakamori able to compete with it. However, it plummeted in 87 and announced its disbandment.

Those who remain popular for longer periods include actresses like Akina Nakamori and Seiko Matsuda, who stay popular for several years. Although they may not be as popular as before, they still manage to maintain a place in the entertainment industry.

In the past two years, Hiroshi Kimura still doesn't want to become too popular or fade away too quickly. After all, he still needs to use this time to accumulate capital, including money and capital in the entertainment industry. If he fades away, he will lose both, and he may only be able to become a landlord in the future, which is not what he wants.

Therefore, Hiroshi Kimura asked his agency to reduce the media attention he receives, at least by having the media outlets that currently have good relations with them reduce their coverage of him, and by only participating in the year-end review of the Top Ten and The Best Ten TV shows and the Recording Awards this year, canceling all other TV programs.

The previous scarcity marketing strategy targeting Hiro Kimura did start to go off track during this period, but Ken-On continued to pursue it with great enthusiasm. The reason, of course, is that the more popular Hiro Kimura became and the more programs he participated in, the better Ken-On's relationship with TV stations became, the better the merchandise featuring Hiro Kimura sold in collaboration with magazines and media, and the higher the record sales.

When faced with Hiroshi Kimura's request to lower his popularity, Hanami Hyuk was initially unwilling. Which agency would be willing to lower the popularity of its artists? Not only would the agency be unwilling, but the artists themselves would also be unwilling. Hiroshi Kimura's request can be considered quite bizarre.

“The publicity strategy we formulated before cannot be changed. Such high popularity will easily exhaust everyone’s enthusiasm. Ken-On and I still have more than four years left on our contract. Do you want to squeeze all my value out of me in the first two years?” Faced with Kimura Hiro’s question, Hanami Kaku had nothing to say and agreed to reduce the popularity.

There's no way around it. As long as Hiroshi Kimura can maintain 70% of his current popularity for the next few years, even if the record market shrinks, Ken-On and Warner Music will still make a fortune. They are already imagining how much revenue they will get from the three singles and one album that Hiroshi Kimura will release next year.

Ultimately, they didn't treat Hiro Kimura like a typical idol, a quick-to-consume product, exploiting his current popularity. Instead, they saw him as a stable investment. After all, Hiro Kimura is worth such an investment; he's a multi-talented artist who combines songwriting and singing, and they couldn't bear to squeeze him dry so easily.

Not to mention they can't force Kimura Hiroshi; it's Ken-On that they want to keep Kimura Hiroshi, not the other way around.

Kimura Hiroshi was overjoyed that he could finally relax for a while again. He was even happier that Ken-On didn't delay and transferred all the royalties from the album "What You Name" into his account on Monday, making his wallet bulge again, exceeding 170 million yen.

In other words, the real estate investment plan can finally be implemented. Kimura Hiroshi doesn't want to wait any longer and must implement it as soon as possible. Perfect timing, since he's currently in a period of inactivity, he can go to Ginza to find Ms. Hanano Yoko and fulfill his promise to buy real estate at the end of the year.

Property prices in Tokyo's Ginza district are currently experiencing a steady, albeit slight, increase. If you enter the market too late, you'll earn less, so you must buy as soon as possible—buy now.

Thanks to his sister's connections, he has obtained the authorization letter for purchasing real estate from his father, which means that there are no longer any obstacles for him to buy real estate.

After informing Ms. Noriko to pick up the lunch he had prepared for Akina at noon, Kimura Hiroshi disguised himself and went out. After confirming that no paparazzi were following him, he took a taxi to Ginza.

Arriving at the real estate company he had visited a few months earlier, Kimura Hiroshi specifically asked to see Hanano Yoko. This wasn't a big problem, as Hanano Yoko, who had already completed her internship, soon appeared before him.

Seeing Kimura Hiroshi dressed up in full disguise, Hanano Yoko was overjoyed. She had thought that Kimura Hiroshi was just making excuses for her when he said he wanted to buy real estate from her, since they hadn't been in contact for the past few months. She never expected to see him again today.

"Kimura-san, you actually showed up! I'm so happy! A while ago you..." Hanano Yoko was so excited that her voice was quite loud; if she kept talking like that, her identity might be exposed.

He gestured for her to be quiet, and Hanano Yoko calmed down. The two found a corner to sit down, and Kimura Hiroshi said, "Miss Yoko, please keep your voice down, otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to buy the real estate."

"I'm so sorry, Kimura-san, I was just too excited to see you, so I couldn't control myself. Don't worry, it definitely won't happen again." As a fangirl, Hanano Yoko didn't want Kimura Hiroshi to think she was unreliable, otherwise they probably wouldn't have a chance to meet again.

Reassuring Hanano Yoko not to worry, Kimura Hiroshi began to inquire about real estate matters. He had previously asked Hanano Yoko to keep an eye out for shops for sale, preferably larger ones, and he wondered if she had noticed.

Clearly, Hiroshi Kimura underestimated how much his female fans cared about their idols. When Yoko Hanano heard his question, she immediately rushed into her office and came out shortly after, carrying all the nearby shops for sale, each over 200 square meters.

"There are six shops that meet Kimura-san's requirements, two of which have a building area of ​​over 200 square meters. If Kimura-san has enough money, I suggest buying this one. It's closest to the central avenue, and I've observed that there's a lot of foot traffic nearby." Hanano Yoko excitedly introduced the target property to Kimura Hiroshi.

Kimura Hiroshi was quite satisfied with the condition of the shop in the picture, but to be sure there were no problems, it would be best to check it out in person. "Ms. Yoko, would it be possible to go and see it in person?"

"Of course, I'll go get the car right now." Hanano Yoko was more than happy to go out with her idol, so she immediately went to get the car and then took Kimura Hiroshi to the location of the shop.

Upon inspection, Kimura Hiroshi found that the shop indeed had good customer traffic and significant potential for appreciation. However, another question arose: "The shop is quite nice, so why would the owner sell it?"

"Ah, I know that. The shop owner is going to invest in the United States and is selling some of his assets. This shop is one of his most important assets." Yoko Hanano had clearly inquired about the details to ensure there wouldn't be any problems.

This made it clear to Kimura Hiroshi that in those days, it was very popular to "get freebies" in the US. Almost every Asian country did it, and Japan was a prime example. Many artists hoped to break into the US market, and although the results were disastrous, it didn't stop them from going there one after another to "get freebies."

In their view, making a name for themselves in the United States is the most fulfilling thing, and the Japanese are even more so. Their worship of the United States is truly comparable to their worship of the Tang Dynasty back then.

Taking off his sunglasses and carefully examining the shop again, Kimura Hiroshi made up his mind and said, "Miss Yoko, I want this shop. Please help me negotiate the price. It's best if it doesn't exceed six million yen per square meter. If that's acceptable, I'll make the purchase."

The price of 6 million per square meter refers to the land price, not the housing price. This shop occupies only about 100 square meters, has two floors, and a building area of ​​over 200 square meters. This means that if he wants to buy this shop, he needs 600 million yen. The 100 million yen he has can only be used as a down payment, and the rest needs to be borrowed from the bank. In other words, he will become a mortgage slave.

Hearing that Kimura Hiroshi had made a decision, Hanano Yoko was overjoyed. "That's great, Kimura-san. Don't worry, I'll definitely help you negotiate a suitable price."

Just as the two were happily negotiating a big deal, Kimura Hiroshi, who took off his sunglasses, had no idea how popular he was lately and how many people knew him.

"Kimura-chan, it's Kimura-chan, right? Ah, it really is Kimura-chan!" Suddenly, a girl passing by shouted loudly, and everyone around noticed her.

Oh no! Kimura Hiroshi quickly put on his sunglasses, gave Hanano Yoko a look, and turned to run outside. If he didn't leave now, he really wouldn't be able to leave later. Hanano Yoko understood perfectly well and immediately followed him out.

Chapter Seventy-Nine: Heard

The moment he was discovered, Hiroshi Kimura had a bad feeling. He would likely appear on the front page of some entertainment newspapers the next day, and they would definitely say that he was in a relationship, because he was with a young woman at the time. The entertainment media would imagine all the young women who were alone with male celebrities as their lovers or mistresses, because such reports would sell well.

However, there were no reports about this matter the next day, which relieved Kimura Hiroshi, as it seemed that no entertainment reporters had discovered the incident.

The next morning, Yoko Hanano called him and told him that she had reached an agreement with the owner of the shop. She had negotiated the land price down to 5.3 million yen per square meter, covering an area of ​​124 square meters, for a total price of 657 million yen.

Using Kimura Hiroshi's identity, she helped him apply for a loan at the bank. The total loan amount was 480 million yen, the interest rate was 4.5%, the repayment period was 20 years, and the monthly repayment amount was about 3 million yen.

Upon hearing this news, Kimura Hiroshi did not hesitate at all. He finished his vocal training for the day and immediately went to the real estate company to sign a purchase agreement with the shop owner. The bank also sent someone to verify Kimura Hiroshi's identity.

After confirming that the borrower was indeed the popular idol Hiroshi Kimura, the bank stated that there were no problems with the loan disbursement, but it would take half a month for the funds to be disbursed.

Having paid the down payment and signed the purchase agreement, the acquisition of the shop was a done deal. Kimura Hiroshi left the rest to Hanano Yoko, only stating that he would definitely be present when the ownership was changed.

Completing such a large order not only allowed Hanano Yoko to get close to her idol, but also earned her a substantial reward. She received a commission of 0.15% of the purchase price, which amounted to over 1.3 million yen, equivalent to half a year's income for an average employee. This truly made her happy and filled her wallet.

Hiroshi Kimura was overjoyed because although the cost he paid, including the down payment and bank loan, was close to 900 million yen, the shop would be worth more than 10 billion yen in six years. In other words, he could increase its value more than tenfold in six years without doing anything.

Slightly excited, Kimura Hiroshi didn't sleep well that night and felt a bit listless the next day. But good luck often comes with bad luck, and when Michiko came to pick him up, she handed him a few entertainment newspapers.

A day later, news broke that he had gone to Ginza, and the headlines were pretty much what he expected. They were mostly about a popular male idol's relationship being exposed, taking his non-celebrity girlfriend shopping in Ginza, and there were a few blurry photos of him and Hanano Yoko, but their faces were not clearly visible.

Kimura Hiroshi was both amused and exasperated by the news; he hadn't managed to escape it after all. The tactics of these entertainment media outlets really haven't changed in a century.

When he arrived at the entrance of Ken-On, he was told to go to the president's office, where the president, Hanami Kagami, wanted to see him.

Upon entering the president's office, with the door slightly ajar, Kimura Hiroshi had expected Hanami Kagami to be furious. However, to his surprise, when he saw Hanami Kagami, the president was actually smiling and seemed quite happy.

Is this acceptable? Which company president would be happy to see their idol's relationship exposed? Hanami Hyuk is clearly a unique case.

"Ahem." Seeing Hanami Kagura's overjoyed expression, Tomioka Yukio, who was sitting next to him, couldn't help but cough twice to remind him to be careful not to get too carried away.

After suppressing his smile, Hanami Kagami realized he had lost his composure. He had just thought that if Kimura Hiroshi found a girlfriend, then he and Nakamori Akina would be out of the question, and Ken-On's major crisis would seem to disappear without a trace.

To cover up his embarrassment, Hanami Kaku also coughed twice before asking, "Kimura-san, have you found a girlfriend? You actually went to Ginza the day before yesterday. You're really bold."

"President, would you be this happy if I found a girlfriend? If my relationship were exposed, I'd probably lose a lot of fans. Shouldn't the agency strictly prohibit me from dating?" Kimura Hiroshi probably guessed what Hanami Kagami was thinking and asked in a teasing tone.

Tightening his tie, Hanami Kaku adopted the airs of a company president. "I was just having fun about something else, Kimura-san. Do you need your agency to cover up your relationship?"

Kimura Hiroshi found this too unbelievable and just laughed. He said very seriously, "President, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. I'm not in a relationship. That Ms. Yoko is a mid-level manager at a real estate company. She accompanied me to look at shops. By the way, I signed a contract with them yesterday and bought a shop."

Buying a shop? That sounds even more absurd than dating. Shouldn't a young person like you be spending your money lavishly? Instead, you're investing in shops.

"Kimura-san, don't hide it anymore. The agency won't punish you for being in a relationship; on the contrary, they'll help you." Hanami Kagami clearly didn't believe him and even offered to cover for him.