My daily life with the original diva

When this style of music returns, it will be when the economic bubble bursts and the whole nation, including students, is in a state of confusion. At that time, graduation may mean unemployment, students will be anxious, and they will like this kind of deep song.

However, that's all many years from now. What we need to deal with now is the upcoming era of the bubble economy, but that's not a big problem, since he can sing cheerful and upbeat songs.

Just throw out a few songs to fill the gaps. After all, records don't make money, so there's no need to put in too much effort. No matter how well it's done, it'll probably only sell 300,000 to 400,000 copies at best, so there's really no need to invest too much time and energy.

Seeing that Kimura Hiroshi was not speaking, Tomioka Yukio thought he was worried about the record sales, so he comforted him and said, "Kimura-san, although some people don't like it, judging from the current situation, the sales of this single should not be lower than Gaining Through Losing, and may even be better, so you don't need to feel too much pressure."

"Mr. Tomioka, I don't expect the new single to outsell the previous one, because the market is still sluggish this year. Don't be fooled by Akina-san's good results; that's because Akina is too strong. If this song, 'Until the End of the World,' sells over a million copies, then it will be a strong contender for the annual sales champion." Kimura Hiroshi gave Tomioka Yukio a heads-up.

This year has been a breakout year for Akina Nakamori, her first year on the throne of queen. Almost every single and album she released has been a huge hit. In addition, Hiroshi Kimura's unexpected success has further enhanced her image among young people. The combination of these factors has led to her new single, "Kita no Tsubasa," already selling over 700,000 copies, and it looks like it will easily surpass 800,000, soon becoming her best-selling single.

However, this does not mean that the market is doing well. If it were really that good, it would be no problem for such a popular single to sell over a million copies. But now it is running out of steam, and the final result is only around 800,000 copies.

Although they knew last year that the market would be even worse this year, the success of Akina Nakamori's new single made Ken-On and Warner Music a bit complacent. Yukio Tomioka frowned after hearing Hiroshi Kimura's words and said, "But everyone's expectations are very high now, Kimura-san. A shrinking market is not a reason for your record sales to drop sharply."

Well, talking to people from agencies and record companies about this kind of thing is really overthinking it. Once they have one success, they want a second one, regardless of what the market is like.

Hmph, it's all Akina-san's fault. Who told her to be so popular? It raised everyone's expectations. Hehe, perfect timing. She's coming to my apartment tomorrow, so I have to get my revenge. At least I should make her cook a meal to appease him.

Chapter 100 Mischievous Hair

After working for almost two months straight, Akina Nakamori finally got a precious day off. In the past, she would definitely have gone back to Kiyose's hometown for such a day off, because in Tokyo, most of her friends are celebrities whose holidays are all over the place, making it impossible to go out and have fun at the same time.

Now that she's on vacation, she finally has another option: to go see Hiroshi Kimura. Compared to other celebrities, he's definitely very relaxed. When Akina Nakamori called him the night before to say she was on vacation, he immediately made time for her. He just had to report to Yukio Tomioka. Even if he had a show to work on, he could turn it down, unless it was one he really couldn't turn down.

Both of them are top male and female idols. If they want to go out and have fun, Tokyo is not even on their list. They can only go to other places or abroad, but one day is simply not enough time.

Kimura Hiroshi was thinking about going to Nakamori Akina's apartment, but he refused because Nakamori Akina wanted to see his apartment. After all, she had never been there before, and she really wanted to see what a guy's apartment was like.

Kimura Hiroshi naturally couldn't refuse such a request. He was even thinking about tidying it up, but Nakamori Akina insisted that he couldn't tidy it up, as she wanted to see it in its original state. It was truly a bizarre request.

At 11 a.m., Kimura Hiroshi, who had been busy for more than ten days, finally had time to sleep in. He had just gotten up and washed up when the doorbell rang.

"You're here so early. I thought you wouldn't be here until the afternoon." He wiped his face clean, tidied his messy hair from sleeping, and rushed to the door to open it.

Sure enough, standing at the door was the pretty Nakamori Akina. She was still dressed like Arale, wearing black-rimmed glasses, her fluffy hair tied into a ponytail, and a black and white baseball uniform. She really looked like a high school student, a pretty high school student, of course.

She looked at Kimura Hiroshi, then suddenly burst out laughing and reached out to touch his hair. "Kimura-san, you're sleeping in late. Your hair is a bit unruly, sticking up quite uniquely. Sigh, I can't even press it down. It's quite willful."

Holding something in one hand, he stood on tiptoe with the other and pressed it against Kimura Hiroshi's head, seemingly trying to push down that tuft of hair that was sticking up.

She's really mischievous. No matter how mature and ever-changing her stage persona is, she's like a naughty little kid in private. Kimura Hiroshi doesn't want her playing with his hair at the door all the time. It's just too weird. If someone sees her and recognizes her, it'll really be a social disaster.

He quickly grabbed Nakamori Akina's deliberately playful hand, pulled her inside, closed the door, and asked in a serious tone, "Is my hair really that funny, Akina-san?"

"Ah, it's just that when this tuft of hair stands up, it always makes me want to press it down. This is what the doctor calls obsessive-compulsive disorder, right, Kimura-san?" Nakamori Akina replied, pretending to be very serious, while pressing it down as she spoke.

The ever-changing diva is amazing; you can't outmaneuver her because she can naturally change according to your emotions. Whatever you do, she does too. Kimura Hiro gave up struggling and said, "Alright, alright, I'll make it behave in a bit. Didn't you want to visit my apartment? Go in and take a look, but you might have to disappoint Akina-san."

Seemingly realizing she couldn't press it down with her hands, Nakamori Akina finally gave up, put down her things, changed her shoes, and walked into the apartment, looking around.

What's so special about a single man's apartment? In this era without the internet and smartphones to pass the time, the apartment isn't very messy, it's just so-so tidied up, there's no obvious trash or clothes lying around.

The furnishings are very simple. Apart from the kitchen, which has more items, there is a sofa, table, TV, storage cabinet, and a few stools outside. Inside the room, there is a bed, bedside table, and wardrobe. The other extra items are some small things, such as magazines, records, and musical instruments.

After looking around, Akina Nakamori occasionally made "hmm" sounds or gently shook her head, it was hard to tell whether she was satisfied or not.

"It's really simple, there aren't even many things that boys like. Won't Kimura-san be lonely?" Looking at Kimura Hiro's living environment, Nakamori Akina seemed a little sorry for him. She walked over to him and asked softly.

It seems that Japanese people care a lot about this: whether you are lonely. This word appears in many song lyrics. Kimura Hiroshi, on the other hand, doesn't seem to care much about this. It's just that many things in this era can't attract his attention, such as card game consoles, which are too primitive and get boring quickly.

It's better to watch TV, watch foreign movie videotapes, or read magazines to pass the time. After all, there are many good movies these days, such as Alien, Star Wars, and many Hong Kong movies that you can buy, which is enough to kill time.

Knowing that Akina Nakamori was concerned about him, Hiroshi Kimura patted her head and lied, saying, "No, if you want to, you can listen to Akina-san's songs, just like Akina-san is by my side."

Sweet lies are often very damaging, especially for Nakamori Akina. Her eyes were watery as she threw herself into Kimura Hiroshi's arms, looked up at him, and said, "This is truly my greatest fortune, Kimura-san. I will always be by your side from now on, it's absolutely true."

Kimura Hiroshi pinched Nakamori Akina's nose and said with a smile, "Then I'll remember Akina-san's promise. You'll definitely have your day."

"No way, how could I possibly be annoyed by Kimura-san? Never." With that, she hugged Kimura Hiroshi even tighter.

Young boys and girls experiencing their first taste of love are always very affectionate, wanting to stay together forever. Even Kimura Hiroshi, who is an old man at heart, seemed to be infected by it. It took a while before the two of them were awakened by Kimura Hiroshi's rumbling stomach.

Akina Nakamori heard this too, and she laughed again, saying, "You made Kimura-san sleep in and skip breakfast, now you're hungry, aren't you? I'll go cook. I promised to show off my cooking skills today, so Kimura-san can see that my dishes aren't all so hard to swallow."

Without any hesitation, Akina Nakamori immediately brought in the things she had bought from the doorway and went into the kitchen. Hiroshi Kimura, naturally, couldn't just watch her cook, so he waited and followed her into the kitchen to help her.

And you know what? The two of them really complemented each other when they were busy in the kitchen. It was obvious that Nakamori Akina often cooked in the kitchen. She was quite skilled at making certain Japanese dishes, but she only knew a few kinds. In her words, those were the only ingredients she could use at home when she was young.

When there are expensive ingredients, my mother usually cooks them because she's afraid my mother will mess them up. As a result, she only knows how to cook a few kinds of dishes, which are the ones we usually eat at home.

Soon, several dishes were prepared and served on the table. The two began their lunch. Kimura Hiroshi ate heartily because he was really hungry, while Nakamori Akina ate very slowly, mostly watching him eat with a smile, as if she was satisfied just to see him eating so happily.

Chapter 101 You're Really Cheeky

After lunch, the task of washing the dishes naturally fell to Kimura Hiroshi, but Nakamori Akina didn't sit down either. She couldn't stand the dust that was everywhere in the apartment, so she filled a basin with water, picked up a mop and a rag, and started cleaning.

After Kimura Hiroshi finished cleaning the kitchen, he saw Nakamori Akina mopping the floor. When she encountered corners that the mop couldn't reach, she knelt down and used the rag in her hand to clean them. She was humming a song while cleaning, just like a little girl who had been assigned a cleaning task by her parents.

You wouldn't guess she's a top female idol singer. She doesn't seem to care about her identity at all, especially in front of him. She seems to have completely shed her singer persona and become a normal girl, enjoying her time with him and doing ordinary things.

"Hey, Akina-san, can you be this happy while cleaning?" Kimura Hiroshi asked, looking at Nakamori Akina who was humming a song and seemed quite pleased with herself. As he spoke, he took out some goodies from the refrigerator.

"Of course, Kimura-san. How could I not feel a sense of accomplishment watching the house gradually become cleaner? Besides, I'm cleaning for Kimura-san. I'm even happier to be able to help Kimura-san," Nakamori Akina replied without looking up as she continued mopping the floor.

"So cheesy," Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but laugh. The little girl had learned to say sweet nothings. He put the things on the table and looked at Nakamori Akina, saying, "Is that so? Seeing how hard you've been working, I've prepared some nice things to treat Akina-san. Shall we continue mopping the floor, or eat something first?"

Hearing that there was something to eat, Nakamori Akina turned around decisively and looked at the table, where she saw two boxes of ice cream. She immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Ah, it's ice cream!"

As a typical foodie, she has no resistance to any kind of delicious food, and ice cream is her favorite. She will not let go of any opportunity to eat it.

She leaned the mop against the wall, rushed over immediately, picked up a box, and couldn't resist sticking out her pink little tongue to lick it; she was really impatient.

"Hey, why are you in such a hurry? Use a spoon. I made this. Taste it and give me feedback if there's anything wrong so I can improve it and make sure it tastes like Akina-san." Seeing Akina Nakamori's anxious look, Hiroshi Kimura quickly handed her a spoon. The ice cream was still in the box; what kind of person would lick it with their tongue?

Besides, that would always lead to some unhealthy thoughts. As a veteran SP, Kimura Hiroshi was no exception, so it was better to use a spoon, even if it was just for his mental health.

"Mmm." Nakamori Akina replied casually, her attention completely drawn to the ice cream. She took the spoon, scooped out a large spoonful, and put it directly into her mouth.

She had been sick for a while, and because of the weather, she hadn't eaten ice cream for several months. So, when she finally got the chance, she naturally went on a gluttonous ice cream binge.

But having just taken it out of the freezer, and having not eaten anything cold for a long time, she couldn't taste the flavor of the large spoonful in her mouth. Her little face turned pale from the cold, and she started breathing on the ice cream box while holding it, then hopping around as if trying to warm her mouth.

Speechless, how could someone this grown up freeze like this after eating ice cream? Kimura Hiroshi quickly shouted, "Spit it out, spit it out!"

Once she put something in her mouth, Akina Nakamori never spat it out, let alone her favorite ice cream. She endured the icy feeling and swallowed it whole. Now, the ice went from her mouth to her stomach, and her heart stopped beating. She shivered and stood there dumbfounded.

Seeing her like that, Kimura Hiroshi was really worried. He helped her up and asked anxiously, "Are you alright? Are you alright? Akina-san, say something! Are you freezing?"

It took her a while to come to her senses, and she whispered, "It's so cold!"

She's really naughty. It would be a real shame if she didn't get a beating when she was little. Kimura Hiroshi rolled his eyes, took the two boxes of ice cream that were originally given to her, and put away the remaining one. He really couldn't give her more, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble she would cause.

"Why did you put it away? Kimura-san, aren't you going to eat it? It's so sweet and a little sour. Did you add mango juice to it?" Even being chilled by the ice cream couldn't stop her from eating it. She kept putting it into her mouth, one bite after another.

Not wanting to talk to her, Kimura Hiroshi sat on the sofa, turned on the TV, and prepared to watch something to calm down. However, Nakamori Akina seemed completely unaware that Kimura Hiroshi was a little angry. Seeing him sit down, she followed him with her ice cream and then slowly moved into his lap.

She scooped a spoonful of ice cream from the box and brought it to Kimura Hiro's lips, saying with a hint of reluctance, "Don't be angry. It's just that Kimura-san's ice cream is too delicious, that's why I'm like this. Here, I'll share some with you."

Looking at the tiny bit in that spoon, Kimura Hiroshi was amused by her generosity. "Akina-san is really generous. I'm not angry. Okay, you can eat it. If you like the rest, you can take it home, but you can't eat any more today, okay?"

"Hehe, I know, Kimura Hiroshi is really the best to me." After saying that, she leaned against Kimura Hiroshi's chest, eating ice cream while watching TV, and even told Kimura Hiroshi to change the channel for her, without even mopping the floor.

The two of them cuddled together, talking about work and life. Just a week ago, Nakamori Akina finally signed a new contract with Ken-on, which changed her salary from a fixed salary and bonuses to royalties and bonuses. In other words, Nakamori Akina would start receiving royalties, and her income was about to skyrocket.

To avoid taxes, she also used a shell company. However, unlike Hiroshi Kimura's completely empty shell, Akina Nakamori did not do that. She brought her family into the company and even had them open a bar, so it was not a purely empty shell.

"They never make money doing anything else, haha. Now that I've invested, with my fame and my mom's help, they'll definitely make money, and they won't need me anymore." Nakamori Akina fantasized, seemingly happy to see her family working together to earn money. She was finally able to fulfill her promise to help her family.

But Kimura Hiroshi could only sigh inwardly. He knew that the bar would only last for three years, because after that, Akina's mother, Chieko, would be diagnosed with a serious illness. Akina's mother would be the only one in the family who could run the business. After she collapsed, the bar, which had been thriving, would soon go out of business after the rest of the family had been running it. She was truly a talented person.

That's secondary. Her family isn't satisfied with the bar's profits; they also take a cut of Nakamori Akina's earnings, and not just a small amount. The difference between her salary and royalties is so huge that it's impossible for Nakamori Akina not to find out.

Even if he knew, Kimura Hiroshi couldn't say anything. Could he say something like, "Hey, your family is greedy and will steal your money," to his future girlfriend? That would be either low emotional intelligence or insane. Dealing with family relationships is something she has to do herself, no matter how she handles it.

What Kimura Hiroshi had to do was support her, stand by her side no matter what she went through, be her last refuge, and let her know that no matter how bad things got, she still had a way out and a place to go.

However, it is clear that their current mutual affection is not enough to support Nakamori Akina. He must officially become the closest person to her besides her family. It seems that some things cannot be delayed any longer, and he must quickly establish himself as her boyfriend.

Chapter 102 New Record Release

On February 24th, Hiroshi Kimura's third single since his debut, "Until the End of the World," was officially released online. This rock-pop song, which had been promoted for more than ten days, had already attracted many fans, especially office workers. They liked this kind of song with a deep sense of loneliness, but the melody was positive and uplifting, just like their own lives.

Besides them, there is another group of people who actively buy his music: Kimura Hiroshi's fans. Most of his fans are students, or more precisely, female students. Of course, there are also some male students, but their numbers are very small compared to the girls.

In the evening, after school, Yumi Maeda and her best friend Sachiko Kamachi hurriedly ran towards the record store. It was the time when people were leaving get off work and school, and the record store was already full of people picking out their favorite records.

As a loyal fan of Hiroshi Kimura, Yumi Maeda observed the sales of Kimura's records as soon as she entered the record store. After watching for a while, she noticed that many middle-aged men and young office workers were buying Kimura's records, while there were relatively few students like herself.

"What's going on? Why are all the older guys buying Kimura-chan's records? Kimura-chan is such a sunny and handsome young man, he should be liked by students like us." Maeda Yumi was a little indignant. She still hoped that Kimura Hiroshi would be more popular with young students.

This way, people can connect and form groups, while these older men and office workers are from a completely different world and have no chance of interacting with them.

While she was feeling indignant, she realized that her best friend was not by her side. She saw her standing in front of a female idol's record and flipping through it. She recognized the female idol, whose name was Kawai Naoko, but she didn't like any female idols. Her favorite was Kimura-chan.

She ran over to her best friend and watched her flipping through the album with great interest. She couldn't help but mutter, "Sachiko-chan, what's so interesting about these female idols? Come with me to see Kimura-chan. I bought his album later, and we'll listen to it together."

“Okay, I’ll buy a Naoko record and listen to them all later.” Sachiko Kamachi picked up a copy of Naoko Kawai’s latest record; she really liked this female idol with her cute little tiger teeth.

Seeing that her best friend had already picked up the record, Yumi couldn't wait any longer. She dragged her to the shelf where Hiroshi Kimura's new single was displayed and took down Hiroshi Kimura's record.

She looked at the image on the record, showing Hiroshi Kimura in a suit and a modified high school uniform, standing back to back. One had a firm and deep gaze, while the other had a somewhat unruly air, which made her feel a little dazed.

"My Kimura-chan is as charming as ever. Ah, he's a boy now, but he'll be just as captivating in a suit when he grows up. I wish I could marry him." Maeda Yumi couldn't help but daydream.

Seeing her best friend's infatuated expression, Sachiko Kamachi gently shook her head. This best friend was beyond saving, but at least she could only dream about it. That Hiroshi Kimura was a lecherous man, and if her best friend really had the chance, she would definitely be deceived terribly.

"Alright, alright, Yumi-chan, aren't we going to buy magazines? Hurry up, or we'll be late getting home. We still have homework to finish. Do you want to listen to the record?" Sachiko Kamachi couldn't help but interrupt her best friend's daydreaming.

Fantasy is wonderful, but reality is cruel. Yumi quickly snapped out of it. There was a lot of homework today, and they really needed to hurry up, otherwise they would definitely get scolded tomorrow if they didn't finish their homework.

"Ugh, really, why is there so much homework? It makes even spending time alone with Kimura-chan feel so rushed. Let's hurry up, Sachiko-chan." After complaining, she grabbed her best friend Sachiko Kamachi, paid the bill, and ran towards the newsstand to buy magazines.

After a flurry of activity, she finally bought the magazine she had been longing for and rushed home. Her parents hadn't returned from work yet, so Yumi took Sachiko Kamachi to her room and placed the record on the record player.

This album starts a little differently, because instead of immediately playing the song's intro, it includes a quote from Hiroshi Kimura.

"Friends, there's another single I've carefully prepared on the B side of this album. I hope you'll like it. The lyrics are on the album cover. If you don't understand German, please refer to the translation. Thank you for purchasing and listening."

Just from that one sentence, Maeda Yumi's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but say, "He's so magnetic, Kimura-chan! Oh, he can even speak German! He's truly talented. I like him so much."

Having witnessed her best friend's obsession with Hiroshi Kimura once again, Sachiko Kamachi was too tired to even think about how to save her best friend; there was truly no point in trying to save her.