My daily life with the original diva

The clear yet slightly magnetic voice of Hiroshi Kimura came from the record player. Sachiko Kamachi sang along softly to the beat. The song was of very high quality. Both the melody and the lyrics were excellent. It was very pleasant to listen to, and one's emotions would rise and fall with the song.

If it weren't for her limited allowance, she would have considered buying a copy. Also, Kimura Hiroshi's behavior at the last fan appreciation event made her feel uncomfortable; it was a bit lewd. Buying his records always gave her the strange feeling that she was spending money to let him use that money to find many women.

Soon after the A-side track finished playing, Yumi couldn't wait to ask, "How was it, how was it, Sachiko? What did you think of Kimura-chan's new song?"

“It’s excellent, a rare gem of a song, perfect for office workers. No wonder so many office workers buy his records,” Sachiko Kamachi replied honestly.

Yumi was delighted to hear this and said, "Hmph, I knew it! Kimura-chan's songs are never bad. Those boys are just jealous of Kimura-san, that's why they said those things. By the way, listen to the B-side track. The name is so strange, aLIEz. I've never seen that word before."

As he spoke, he flipped the record over and started playing the B-side. Compared to the rock and pop style of the A-side, which combined elements of rock and pop, the B-side started with pure rock music, and the clear and fast-paced drumbeats were immediately noticeable.

But if you listen carefully, you'll notice something's wrong. Sachiko Kamachi heard what sounded like a symphony orchestra, and even some classical music. Her eyes widened in surprise. This kid is really amazing. He can actually blend these things together. It's unbelievable. I heard he only turned eighteen this month.

"Always making subjective decisions, always arrogant and boastful, clearly just showing off my worthless pride, but sometimes I also hide in the mirror, overwhelmed by sorrow and humiliation... The world I love is indeed like a game every day, don't create war, lies become the warriors of the war world, hate the war before my eyes."

Why is tolerance from A to Z a disease...? In this blatant evil, we struggle in the darkness, our hearts weeping, comforting our wounded souls with lies... What is life? A ray of light in the darkness, can you see it? Sir, if you don't understand, then feel it with your own eyes.

Back and forth, three languages ​​alternate, and three musical styles are mixed in. The lyrics tell a story of searching for light in a war full of darkness, violence, and lies. It is such a sad and painful thing. But the song is passionate and courageous, as if nothing in the world can stop him from searching for that sliver of light.

Completely stunned, Sachiko Kamachi never expected Hiroshi Kimura to show off his skills like this, let alone do it so well. The song seemed to perfectly express Hiroshi Kimura's true feelings. He didn't want to join the war in this world, but the entertainment media turned lies into weapons and attacked him relentlessly, forcing him to confront the war and find light in it.

She looked down at the cover and saw Hiroshi Kimura in a suit and school uniform. Suddenly she understood the meaning of the cover. He was the boy in the adult world, where he had to become an adult, but he was still a boy, a boy who wanted to fight against the whole world.

Chapter 103 Clash with Hanami Hen

Although the new single was very popular and the results of promotion and market research were also good, the album still broke the record for the lowest sales volume since the release of Hiroshi Kimura's three singles. The first day's sales were less than 50,000 copies, and the second day continued to decline, barely breaking 40,000 copies. By the third day, it had fallen to only 35,000 copies.

With only 130,000 copies sold in three days, and Kimura Hiroshi's record was released on a Friday, meaning that the weekly charts used the results of those three days. Even though the sales figures looked so poor, he was still number one on the weekly sales chart.

Since the release of his album, all three of his singles debuted at number one on the sales charts in their first week, demonstrating Kimura Hiroshi's immense popularity. However, both Ken-On and outsiders felt that the sales figures were far too low.

Even Gaining Through Losing, released last November, still sold over 70,000 copies on its first day despite the unfavorable market conditions, while now even 50,000 seems extremely difficult.

Those media outlets that had a grudge against Hiroshi Kimura naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass, and they all jumped out to badmouth him, saying that he was no longer as popular as when he debuted and that he would soon fade into obscurity like any other male idol.

These are all old arguments, they've already said them before. But they're not without something new, they're bringing up their news from a few days ago about predicting that Hiroshi Kimura's new album wouldn't sell well, saying how accurate their prediction was, and that Kimura will definitely fail in the future.

Not only was the atmosphere outside the company not good, but the atmosphere inside Ken-On was also not good. After the first week's sales were released, a meeting was inevitable. Although he knew he might be criticized by Hanami Kagami, Kimura Hiroshi looked very relaxed when he entered the meeting room.

Seeing Kimura Hiroshi's nonchalant attitude, President Hanami Kaku couldn't help but reprimand him. He had been looking for this opportunity for a long time, and he didn't expect it to come so soon. He finally had a chance to teach this young man a lesson.

Although Kimura Hiroshi was signed to Ken-On with extremely generous terms, Hanami Kaku never expected that this kid would be so difficult to control, making him both love and hate Kimura Hiroshi.

Love is his huge success, which has benefited Ken-On a lot, not only in terms of income but also in terms of fame. This year, they have signed many high-quality newcomers, several of whom were willing to sign with Ken-On because they were influenced by the rise of Hiroshi Kimura.

The problem is that this kid is too difficult to control. He often doesn't respect the agency or him, and does things his own way, which makes things very difficult for him. But if he's asked to send Kimura Hiroshi away, then sorry, he can't do it. Sending away such a high-quality idol would make him a complete idiot.

Since they couldn't send him away and dared not offend him too much, they could only seize the opportunity to reprimand him, regain their dignity as the club president, and at the same time suppress the kid's arrogance, making him easier to control, unlike now when he was like a wild horse that could break free at any moment.

"Kimura-san, your new single's sales are far below expectations. Shouldn't you be thinking of ways to improve it? Why are you so relaxed and unconcerned? It's outrageous!" Hanami Kagami pretended to be angry, but inwardly she was very happy and excited as she scolded him.

However, he spoke too lightly. Kimura Hiroshi didn't even realize that he was being reprimanded. Instead, it sounded like a complaint. He flipped through the sales report that had been sent down and said, "President, it's a bit too hasty to judge that the record sales are not good after only three days of sales. Perhaps it would be better to wait another week."

Record sales are a long-term process. Although most sales are concentrated in the first two months after release, it is really hard to judge whether subsequent sales will be good or not based on just three days of sales.

For example, Akina Nakamori's "Kita Tsubasa," which is still on the sales charts, only reached its peak in the third week after its release, with sales exceeding 160,000 copies for two consecutive weeks. If you only look at the sales in the first three days, the total sales were less than 50,000 copies. Who would have thought that it would actually head towards 800,000 copies?

This rebuttal was reasonable and well-founded, and Hanami Hen didn't know how to refute it for a moment. Should he bring up Kimura Hiroshi's data that the first day's sales exceeded 100,000? But his previous single, Gaining Through Losing, didn't have good sales at the beginning, but now the total sales have exceeded 1.2 million copies.

Suddenly, she felt that she was not as smooth and experienced as before, and not as composed in handling matters, especially in front of this Kimura kid. She was really at a loss for words. Hanami knew that this was because she had been embarrassed by this kid many times, so she was too anxious to regain her face, which was why she seemed so impatient. Calm down, she had to calm down.

"I also bear responsibility for the sales falling short of expectations. After all, I was the one who made the choice of the single. So, if the sales are still below expectations next week, less than 200,000 copies, then we'll change our marketing strategy. What do you think, President?" Seeing that Hanami Kagami was somewhat embarrassed by Kimura Hiroshi's rebuttal, Tomioka Yukio took the initiative to mediate.

As a representative of Warner Music, he didn't want Kimura Hiroshi and his agency to have too much of a falling out, as this could be detrimental to their future three-way cooperation. Therefore, Tomioka Yukio was very willing to mediate the conflict between them.

His eyes lit up, and taking advantage of Yukio Tomioka's words, he asked for more money, but pretended to agree and said, "Okay, let's see how the sales are next week. If the sales continue to decline, then the agency will have to determine the songs and sales strategy for the next album."

This is to regain control of record production that Kimura Hiroshi has always had, and also to keep Kimura Hiroshi under control so that he is not always out of Ken-On's control. This requirement goes far beyond what Tomioka Yukio just said.

Unexpectedly, Hanami Kagami distorted his words, which made Tomioka Yukio quite unhappy. He only hoped that the relationship between the three parties would be harmonious, but he did not expect that Kimura Hiroshi would be completely controlled by Ken-On. That would not be in Warner Pioneer's interest, because Ken-On might transfer Kimura Hiroshi's record contract to other record companies in the future for its own benefit.

Before he could retort, Kimura Hiroshi spoke first, "The president is really cunning, secretly adding to what Tomioka said. Okay, I agree, but if this album sells over 200,000 copies next week, then the agency shouldn't say anything about taking back album production anymore, okay?"

Giving the record production rights to Ken-On would be foolish of Hiroshi Kimura. The record market is shrinking drastically these days. If he gives it to Ken-On, who knows what tricks they'll pull? Record sales will probably be even lower, which will affect his profits. How can he do that?

Even though he was found out, Hanami Kagami wasn't embarrassed. Instead, he was overjoyed to hear that Kimura Hiroshi was willing to risk next week's record sales for future record production rights. Based on the current sales figures, it would be difficult to reach 200,000 copies next week, because Kimura Hiroshi's records always had the best sales in the first week, and then they would keep declining.

Even with the "Gaining Through Losing" model, it still had the highest sales in the first week. Although it recovered somewhat after the press conference, it never returned to the sales of 260,000 units in the first week.

"Okay, I agree. I hope Kimura-san will keep his promise." Hanami Kyū happily agreed because even if he failed, it wouldn't matter. The record production rights weren't in Ken-On's hands anymore, and now that there was a chance to take them back, why not take a gamble? Losing wouldn't be a loss, and winning would be a huge profit.

Chapter 104 Finding the Record's Hit

After Kimura Hiroshi made a bet with the company president, Hanami Kaku, that his album would sell over 200,000 copies in the second week, the most anxious person was not Kimura Hiroshi, but his manager, Tomioka Yukio. This was because he was the one who started the bet. He originally just wanted to ease the tension between the two sides, but Hanami Kaku used him to escalate the bet. What's worse, Kimura Hiroshi directly agreed to it.

This worried him greatly because Yukio Tomioka didn't really value Ken-On much. He valued Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori more. Even if the two switched agencies, it probably wouldn't have much of an impact. Ken-On's role in their marketing was only so-so; most of the time, they had to rely on themselves.

Therefore, he was worried that his relationship with Kimura Hiroshi would be affected. After the meeting ended, Tomioka Yukio followed behind Kimura Hiroshi and explained as he walked, "Kimura-san, I was careless about what happened just now. I shouldn't have said those things. I didn't expect it to cause you such serious trouble."

"Ah, it's not your fault, Mr. Tomioka. I know the president has long disliked me, feeling that I'm out of control and often don't consider the firm's interests. Even if you hadn't said that today, he would have found a reason to put me in a difficult position, otherwise he would lose face as the president." Kimura Hiroshi had anticipated this, so it's really not Tomioka Yukio's fault.

Which company president can tolerate their artists like that for a long time? Hanami Kaku has two. Fortunately, Nakamori Akina sometimes argues with the agency over record deals, but otherwise she follows orders, so Hanami Kaku can tolerate her. However, Kimura Hiroshi is much more disobedient and does things entirely according to his own ideas, which Hanami Kaku definitely cannot tolerate.

Seeing that Kimura Hiroshi didn't blame him, Tomioka Yukio breathed a sigh of relief, then asked with some concern, "So what should we do next? In order to break 200,000 copies in record sales next week, shouldn't Kimura-san step up the promotion and appear on more TV shows?"

Strengthen promotion? Kimura Hiroshi thought for a moment, "We could get it on a couple more shows, but I estimate the effect would be very limited. The record market is shrinking drastically right now, and the song's style already determines its audience, so it would be difficult to significantly increase its sales."

Upon hearing this, Yukio Tomioka became somewhat anxious and asked, "Then what should we do? I've looked at the sales figures for this single, and it's definitely going to sell close to a million copies, but breaking 200,000 copies in a week won't be easy."

After all, the album's sales had already dropped to 35,000 yesterday, and it's very likely to continue to drop. If it sells less than 30,000 copies per day on average, it certainly won't reach 200,000. However, it sold over 300,000 copies in the first two weeks, and if we extend the sales period to a year, reaching a million shouldn't be a big problem.

"There is a way, Mr. Tomioka. It's to find a buzz around this record to attract people who weren't originally interested in buying it," Kimura Hiroshi said thoughtfully, stroking his chin.

"What kind of surprises can we find on this album?" Yukio Tomioka asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Ah, Mr. Tomioka should know, the B-side track. If it could be promoted, it would become a hit." Kimura Hiroshi said in a somewhat sinister tone.

Immediately, Yukio Tomioka's expression changed. He remembered the B-side song clearly; it was a song that provoked many media outlets. "Kimura-san, we agreed that this song wouldn't be promoted publicly. If you promote it, you'll really offend some media outlets. You'll face even more attacks, which will be detrimental to your future development. We can't sacrifice the future for the present."

"Mr. Tomioka, who said we should promote it ourselves? Find some media outlets that pay to publish articles about me and the B-side, preferably detailing my past struggles with the media. Then get people to request the song on cable TV. Trust me, it will be a viral sensation," Kimura Hiroshi suggested.

The advantage of doing this is that it is certain media outlets that want to express what the B-side of the song, rather than Kimura Hiroshi actively saying it, will discover that Kimura Hiroshi can completely distance himself from it and say that it is just some media speculation and has nothing to do with him. He also said that he did not write the song to satirize the media.

Yukio Tomioka had to admit that it was an excellent idea, and he couldn't help but give a thumbs up. "Kimura-san is really very clever. Doing it this way will give us a lot of room to maneuver and prevent us from being completely opposed to those media outlets."

"Then it's decided. Ah, if those singers knew that I sold over 130,000 records in three days and was even trying to increase record sales, do you think they would think I'm going too far?" Thinking of this, Hiroshi Kimura couldn't help but smile wryly.

Selling over 130,000 copies in three days was already the highest-selling album of the year, even surpassing the weekly sales of most albums. However, this achievement turned into his worst result, and his agency was not satisfied.

"Sigh, I can only say that Kimura-san is too outstanding, so expectations for you were too high. I checked the sales of all your records for the past three months, and they are at least 15 percent lower than last year. I don't know if next year will really see a continued decline, just as Kimura-san said." Tomioka Yukio could only sigh at this.

After all, Warner Music also expects Hiroshi Kimura to maintain his high popularity and high sales. When other singers' record sales decline, they will not think about lowering their record sales expectations, but rather want to make up for it. Obviously, Hiroshi Kimura is the most suitable choice.

It's a long story, but Hiroshi Kimura doesn't regret it. In the previous six months, he earned more money than most popular singers could earn in several years. Now he has to bear the side effects of his previous over-exploitation and do everything he can to maintain his current level of success.

"That's all for the future. We need to solve the current problems first. Mr. Tomioka, let me know if there are any shows I need to be on recently. If I'm more active, it'll be a good way to boost my publicity," Kimura Hiroshi said, patting Tomioka Yukio on the shoulder.

"Ah, yes, tomorrow is The Best Ten. You're number one in sales this week, so you can participate. The same goes for Top Ten. If you'd like, you can go to both. Also..." Yukio Tomioka listed all the shows he could participate in recently.

Ultimately, Hiroshi Kimura chose to participate in the recording of three more programs, which was already considered a boost to his publicity. After all, he also had to participate in the promotion of many radio programs, and the filming of his movie was entering its final crucial stage. In reality, he didn't have much time, so participating in three more programs was already quite diligent of him.

Chapter 105 Some People Have Never Had Popularity

To boost his promotional efforts and create buzz, Hiroshi Kimura had to appear on television more often in order to ensure his record sales would surpass 200,000 copies next week. However, even when he did appear, he only chose television programs with extremely high viewership ratings, such as the chart program "The Best Ten".

Since he released his album last year, he has appeared on the best ten chart almost every week, usually for six to ten weeks. He was number one for the first few weeks, and then he would slowly drop down for the next two or three weeks, but still stay in the top ten until he dropped out of the top ten in the last two weeks.

Although he appeared on the charts for a long time, Kimura Hiroshi would only participate in music shows about twice during that period. Even if he was number one on the charts, he would not appear on other shows, which drew criticism from the television stations.

Having rushed from the movie set to the TV station, accompanied by his assistant and program crew, Kimura Hiroshi arrived backstage. Upon seeing the people in the dressing room, he frowned slightly, because he saw that annoying guy again, Kondo Masahiko. Two female idols were sitting around him, and the three of them were chatting happily. On the other side sat Koizumi Kyoko.

These people had obviously arrived early; they were all dressed and made up, chatting and waiting for the show's rehearsal. When they saw Hiroshi Kimura appear, the people present showed several different expressions.

Some were disgusted, like Masahiko Kondo and a female idol next to him, both of whom showed expressions of disgust. Others were happy, like Kyoko Koizumi sitting on the other side. And then there were those singers who weren't very familiar with him and who were indifferent.

"Kyoko-san, it's nice to see you again." Kimura Hiroshi greeted Koizumi Kyoko, whom he knew well.

With a gentle wave, Kyoko Koizumi replied with a smile, "Yes, it's great to see you again, Kimura-san. Congratulations on the great success of your new single!"

"Haha, Kyoko-san's new single is pretty good too, it's been on the charts for over a month." Kimura Hiro also congratulated her. Kyoko Koizumi, who cut her hair short, is finally becoming a big star. Her single, released on January 1st like Nakamori Akina's, is selling very well, with nearly 300,000 copies sold so far, and it has been on the charts for seven consecutive weeks.

This could be considered mutual flattery, but after only a few words, Kimura Hiroshi was urged by his assistant, Ms. Michiko, to go to the dressing room to change clothes and prepare for the rehearsal later.

After Kimura Hiroshi left, the atmosphere in the dressing room became a little strange. The two female idols who had been chatting happily with Kondo Masahiko fell silent and instead looked at Koizumi Kyoko with different expressions.

One of the female idols, who had a slightly darker complexion, spoke first: "Kyoko-chan, how come you seem to know Mr. Kimura so well?"

“Ah, Kimura-san is Akina’s good friend, so I’m fairly familiar with him too, Yu-chan.” Koizumi Kyoko answered naturally. The dark-skinned girl was Hayami Yu, an idol from the same cohort as them. They were all known as the Flower Class of ’82, and they spent a long time together during their newcomer promotions.

"Heh, it's Nakamori Akina again. It seems like everything is connected to her. Kondo-san, why are they always haunting us like ghosts?" The female idol sitting next to Hayami Yu said sarcastically.

As soon as she said that, Kyoko Koizumi's face immediately turned cold, and Yu Hayami next to her also changed her expression and quickly tugged at her, "Iyo-chan, what are you saying? Don't say such things."

The speaker was Matsumoto Iyo, a fellow idol from the same group of the Flower 82. She was a close friend of Hayami Yu, so she kept quiet after Hayami Yu said that, but she gave Koizumi Kyoko a soft snort.

Hayami Yu couldn't blame his friend too much, so he could only give Koizumi Kyoko an apologetic smile.

Masahiko Kondo, who was standing nearby, watched the female idols arguing with a smile on his face the whole time. Once they stopped arguing, he turned around and started talking to Iyo Matsumoto, which made his attitude clear.

Matsumoto Iyo had been talking to Kondo Masahiko, but he didn't seem to care much. Now that he was talking to her, Matsumoto Iyo was overjoyed and immediately agreed, even wanting to lean on him.

After changing his clothes and putting on some simple makeup, Kimura Hiro returned to the dressing room and immediately sensed the strange atmosphere. Koizumi Kyoko sat there without saying a word, as did the dark-skinned female idol. On the other hand, Kondo Masahiko and another female idol were chatting enthusiastically and occasionally chuckling. But when he appeared, the two of them immediately fell silent and looked at him coldly.

For some inexplicable reason, Kimura Hiroshi sat down next to Koizumi Kyoko and started chatting with her, mainly asking about some embarrassing things that happened when Nakamori Akina debuted, so he could use them to tease her when they got back.

The truth is, Nakamori Akina is very lively in private, even a bit mischievous. Without some core technology, you simply can't keep her in check, so this is very important information.

When it comes to Nakamori Akina's embarrassing moments, Koizumi Kyoko, her best friend in the industry, knows them all by heart. She can't help but laugh when she talks about them, and her voice is quite loud, after all, she has a lively personality.

The two were having a good time chatting, but someone else couldn't stand it. Ever since Kimura Hiroshi came in, Kondo Masahiko's face had been very unpleasant. He wanted to glare fiercely at Kimura Hiroshi, but he didn't dare. Matsumoto Iyo, who was sitting next to him, saw all of this and her gaze toward Kimura Hiroshi also turned fierce.

Especially since they were sitting not far apart, and I could hear them talking about Nakamori Akina from time to time, and they seemed to be having a great time, my temper flared up.

"Yu-chan, you've heard, haven't you? Some people are about to fade into obscurity. The media is all talking about it, but that person doesn't seem to care much. They're just chatting away here so casually." Matsumoto Iyo suddenly raised her voice, sharing this gossip with her friend.

Everyone present knew who she was talking about, and they all looked at Matsumoto Iyo, feeling that her words were rather harsh. Kimura Hiroshi was no exception, staring at this idol who was not very familiar to him. He was a little curious as to whether he had offended this woman.

"Her name is Matsumoto Iyo, and she doesn't get along well with Akina-san," Koizumi Kyoko whispered in Kimura Hiroshi's ear, providing him with information.

"It's her!" Kimura Hiroshi immediately realized. Nakamori Akina, Koizumi Kyoko, Hayami Yu, and Matsumoto Iyo were all newcomers who debuted in 1982, and among the most successful female idols of that year. However, success was not without its levels. Nakamori Akina was the strongest, followed by Koizumi Kyoko, who was also quite strong and a close friend. Next was Hayami Yu, and then Matsumoto Iyo. The latter two were also friends.

Matsumoto Iyo and Nakamori Akina had a very bad relationship. In later years, she even spoke ill of Nakamori Akina on television, almost causing a live broadcast accident. Fortunately, Hayami Yu stopped her, because Hayami Yu and Nakamori Akina also had a good relationship and she didn't want to see her two friends have such a bad falling out.