My daily life with the original diva

But she didn't come to the set to memorize her lines, so she must have memorized them last night. Now Kimura Hiroshi couldn't let her play around like this anymore. "So that means you stayed up all night last night. What did Akina-san promise me before?"

Because she was always sick, at Kimura Hiro's request, Nakamori Akina clearly promised him that she would never stay up late unless it was for work. Yesterday, she called him after returning from work around 9 PM, and the two chatted until after 10 PM. She even had time to memorize her lines. Given her memory, which used to be so poor that she would forget two out of three lines, there was only one possibility for her to memorize so many lines: she stayed up late.

Originally feeling smug and believing she had completely outmaneuvered the clever Kimura-san, Nakamori Akina was shocked to find herself caught out by Kimura-san. Her smugness vanished instantly, and she began to dart around, stammering, "Kimura-san, memorizing lines is work too, how can that be considered staying up all night?"

"He's even trying to argue now," Kimura Hiro gave Nakamori Akina a look, then pretended to be very angry and left. He went to his resting place, picked up the script and started reading. There were still scenes to film later. Nakamori Akina's resting place wasn't far from his, because they were both resting in the room next to the film set.

Holding the script to cover his face, Kimura Hiroshi secretly glanced at Nakamori Akina, who was also resting not far away. He saw that Nakamori Akina seemed to think he was really angry, and she was a little restless, occasionally sneaking glances in his direction. Seeing him sitting there as usual, his face hidden by the script, she couldn't see his expression, which made her even more uneasy.

A short while later, Ms. Noriko brought her drinks. She took two bottles and immediately ran over to Kimura Hiroshi, handed him one, and said, "Kimura-san, have a drink. I heard it has coconut juice from Hawaii in it, and it's very delicious."

Kimura Hiroshi was just putting on an act. He took the drink but didn't say anything. This time, Nakamori Akina got really impatient. She squatted down, nudged Kimura Hiroshi with her shoulder, and said, "Are you angry? I'm sorry, Kimura-san. I shouldn't have teased you all day."

"Is this what I'm angry about, Akina-san?" Kimura Hiroshi continued, pretending to be very serious.

Truly transforming into a good girl, Nakamori Akina thought about it seriously for a moment and finally understood, "I know, it's because Kimura-san doesn't want me to stay up late."

"You still know that? Akina-san, don't you know your own body? You finally have time to rest, but you stay up all night memorizing lines so you can be funny the next day. You really don't care about your health." He couldn't help but tap her forehead with his finger as he spoke.

Enjoying Kimura Hiroshi's concern, she smiled again, grabbed his shoulder, rubbed her face against his arm, and said in a sweet voice, "I'm sorry, Kimura-san, I promise I won't do it again. I'll definitely go to bed on time when I have time to rest, so please don't be angry anymore."

"Is it guaranteed?"

"I guarantee it. If you don't believe me, Kimura-san can come to my apartment and keep an eye on me."

He's starting to show his true colors again. Kimura Hiroshi couldn't keep up. If he went, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep at all, and who knows what might happen.

"Ahem, can you two be a little more mindful? This isn't just a place for you two to rest. What if someone comes in and sees you?" Just as the two were being affectionate, Akira Yoshizawa walked in and couldn't help but remind them when he saw how blatant they were being.

Nakamori Akina immediately detached herself from Kimura Hiroshi and stood up as if nothing had happened. Kimura Hiroshi, on the other hand, said very seriously, "Mr. Akiyuki, you misunderstood. We were just rehearsing our lines so that we could save more time when we start filming."

Seeing Kimura Hiro talking nonsense with such a straight face, Nakamori Akina was amused and wanted to laugh, but she held back and followed Kimura Hiro, saying, "Yes, Mr. Akio, you misunderstood. We were just rehearsing a scene, and we definitely didn't do anything extra."

Defeated by these two, Akira Yoshizawa felt like he was going to be driven mad with anger. "You can use this method on me, but can you use this method on a reporter?"

After saying that, she was too lazy to continue talking to them and went to where Nakamori Akina was resting. She grabbed Ms. Noriko, who was there gossiping and shipping the couple, and gave her a really fierce scolding. The artist was so openly dating, and she, the assistant, was just watching. It was really outrageous.

"Mr. Akiyuki can be quite scary when he gets angry. Has Akina-san ever been yelled at by him?" Kimura Hiroshi asked curiously.

"Of course, it happens all the time, but I'm not afraid. I've even fought with him before." Nakamori Akina spoke of this with particular pride.

Kimura Hiroshi had heard of this rumor, but he didn't know the details. When he suddenly received confirmation from the person involved, Kimura Hiroshi was immediately filled with curiosity and asked, "Who won? Did Akina-san win?"

"Of course... Hey, Kimura-san, if I get into a fight with a man, shouldn't you be worried about me first?"

"Yes, that's why I asked Akina-san if she won. If she did, then there shouldn't be any major problems," Kimura Hiroshi said calmly.

Now it was Akina Nakamori's turn to be dumbfounded. You, Kimura-san, are really like this.

Chapter 115 Going to Help Someone Write Their Debut Song

Because director Takeshi Kitano threatened to strike, the film's progress was extremely fast in March, and by mid-March, most of the shots had already been filmed.

However, filming was not over yet. The crew still needed to check which shots had problems or omissions and make up for them in the following time before filming could be officially wrapped up. But this also slowed down the filming, because checking the shots took a lot of time.

This finally allowed Hiroshi Kimura to relax a bit and have time to relax again, but Akina Nakamori didn't get such good treatment. During the filming of the movie, she also participated in a lot of program filming and several tours. With the release of her new single in April, she became even busier, with more promotions than before, and she was really running back and forth.

Because Ken-On and Warner Music had already felt the shrinking of the Japanese record market at this time, the record sales of all singers in the first quarter of this year were 12% to 15% less than last year, which made the competition in the record market even more intense. As one of the only two super top female idols at the moment, Akina Nakamori was entrusted with more hopes.

More promotion is naturally for higher sales. With the market shrinking, agencies and record companies don't want their artists' record sales to shrink as well. They will try every means to maintain or even increase their artists' record sales, which is bad for Akina Nakamori, who is being exploited.

"This is a terrible work schedule. Didn't Akina-san protest?" Looking at the long work schedule every day, Kimura Hiroshi felt his heart pounding and a little heartache. He couldn't stand such a workload, but if he wanted to help Nakamori Akina reduce her workload, then Nakamori Akina would have to speak up first. But she didn't say anything and accepted the arrangement very calmly.

Looking at Kimura Hiroshi, who had just finished a morning of dance and vocal training, sprawling on the sofa like a snake, Tomioka Yukio curled his lip and said, "This is a normal work schedule. It's Kimura-san who's abnormal. Now let me tell you about the afternoon's schedule."

I'll go to the radio station first to record a new music program, and then head to VAP Records to discuss Momoko Kikuchi's debut song. There are no plans for the evening; there might be a dinner party after the discussions.

It was very easy. I only had one job in the afternoon. The other job was to repay a favor. The cover of Hiroshi Kimura's first album, What You Name, was taken by Momoko Kikuchi, who hadn't debuted yet. She was a beautiful and sweet mermaid, and her agency didn't even receive any payment.

Because Kikuchi Momoko's agency believed that this was also a form of publicity for her, which was indeed true. The sweet, cute, and energetic Kikuchi Momoko's portrayal of the mermaid attracted a lot of attention. Last November, she officially released her first photo magazine, which sold quite well, reportedly more than 11 copies, a sales figure that even surpassed that of top female idols.

This year, Momoko Kikuchi is confirmed to debut and is currently starring in a youth idol film. Her first single will be released at the end of April, and the production company has invited Hiroshi Kimura to write a debut song for her.

This was the first time someone had invited him to compose a piece, and Kimura Hiroshi was quite surprised. However, he soon realized that things were not so simple. The other party clearly wanted to use his fame to promote Kikuchi Momoko, and might even hype up their relationship in an effort to get Kikuchi Momoko the most attention.

Having figured out the other party's tactics, Kimura Hiroshi originally intended to refuse outright, but Tomioka Yukio persuaded him to accept. His reason was that the other party had helped him without asking for money in the past, and now he was being asked to write a debut song, which would have a very bad impact if word got out. Japan is also a place that values ​​personal relationships.

In addition, Hiroshi Kimura has too many enemies, especially many agencies that wish for him to be eliminated immediately. So if he cooperates with Momoko Kikuchi's agency, it would be like gaining a friend. In the entertainment industry, having a friend is much better than having an enemy.

After weighing the pros and cons, Hiroya Kimura changed his attitude and agreed, so the two parties agreed to hold the talks at VAP Records, the record company to which Momoko Kikuchi belongs.

"That's really easy. Let's go then. By the way, I don't think I have any work the day after tomorrow. I need to take a day off that day; I have some things to take care of," Kimura Hiroshi said as he got up.

Looking at the work schedule for the day after tomorrow, there is indeed no work. Akina Nakamori is going to shoot the cover for her new single that day, and even if the movie needs to reshoot some scenes, it can't be filmed. The original plan was to practice for a day, but Hiroshi Kimura had something to do, so it was canceled. Yukio Tomioka was very easy to talk to in this regard.

The group went to the radio station to record a program. Kimura Hiroshi was a regular and was very familiar with the recording process, so it went very smoothly and was completed by 4 p.m.

After leaving the TV station, the group immediately went to VAP Records. Compared to the conglomerate behind Ken-On, VAP Records was also not simple. It belonged to Japan Television, which meant that Momoko Kikuchi could occupy excellent TV program resources from the start. At least she didn't have to visit and beg everywhere to get some opportunities to appear on TV programs like Akina Nakamori did back then.

Upon arriving at the record company's reception desk and announcing their identities, a group of people soon came down to greet them, including Momoko Kikuchi, whom Kimura Hiroshi had met once before, and her manager.

Upon seeing her again, Kikuchi Momoko appeared slightly different from a few months ago; she had gotten a tan, which was likely related to her recent photoshoot for a magazine. Although she had gotten a tan, her appearance remained unchanged, still as sweet and lovely as ever.

If there's any drawback, it's that they're too flat-chested. But this seems to be a common problem for Japanese women; they're generally quite small. If they're even slightly larger, it's considered an advantage. That's why many girls in manga are depicted as having large breasts. Japanese people like big breasts, but in reality, most are small, so they can only find satisfaction in manga.

"Welcome, Mr. Kimura. I am Watanabe Kawasaku, the producer from VAP Records who is in charge of producing Peach Jam's debut song. Nice to meet you." A middle-aged, lean man greeted Kimura Hiroshi first, looking very happy.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Watanabe. I look forward to working with you from now on," Kimura Hiroshi replied with a smile.

After introducing themselves to each other, they went upstairs together. It was then that Kikuchi Momoko finally had a chance to greet Kimura Hiroshi. She bowed and smiled, saying, "Long time no see, Kimura-san."

The last time the two met was purely for work. Although they chatted for a while, they weren't exactly familiar with each other. After more than half a year, they were somewhat awkward when they met again. Kimura Hiroshi politely smiled and replied, "Long time no see, Peach-chan."

Chapter 116 As long as the money is there

In the recording studio, Hiroshi Kimura, wearing headphones, listened to Momoko Kikuchi's singing. His brows furrowed slightly. To put it simply, her voice was the kind that couldn't reach low notes or high notes; it was rather mediocre.

Not to mention comparing her to top idol singers like Seiko Matsuda, Akina Nakamori, and Naoko Kawai, she's not even as good as Kyoko Koizumi. She's much better than the courageous Iyo Matsumoto, but that means she simply doesn't have the ability to sing any difficult songs and can only choose gentle ones.

After the audition, they arrived at the conference room, where the atmosphere became tense. Kimura Hiroshi sat there for a long time without saying a word, lost in thought. Everyone knew that he must be dissatisfied with the audition to be like this.

Unable to bear the atmosphere any longer, Kikuchi Momoko's record producer, Watanabe Kawaki, couldn't help but speak up, "Kimura-san, are you dissatisfied with the audition? Momoko-chan has worked very hard; she has been training for almost two years to reach the level required for her debut today."

As early as 1981, Momoko Kikuchi was scouted and then underwent a long period of training, including vocal music and acting, until this year when she was finally confirmed to debut.

It took two years of training to reach this level. Kimura Hiroshi realized that Kikuchi Momoko's singing level was really average. But he also knew that even so, Kikuchi Momoko was doing quite well among idol singers. After debuting as an idol singer, she steadily surpassed Okada Yukiko, who debuted at the same time, in terms of both popularity and sales, and her sales were also considered top-notch.

Ultimately, the most important thing for an idol is their appearance. Whether they sing well or not is just a bonus. Of course, if they sing exceptionally well, that's a huge bonus, making people overlook some of the appearance factor.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Kimura. Please bear with me. I will work even harder to make you satisfied." Seeing that Kimura Hiroshi was still silent, Kikuchi Momoko stood up and bowed to him, making her request.

Kimura Hiroshi felt bad that they had helped him before, so he quickly said, "Peach-chan, please sit down. I have a general idea, but I have two options and I don't know which one to choose. I was thinking about it just now, and I hope you didn't misunderstand."

"Ah, Kimura-san already has some ideas, two of them, you're a genius! You've already come up with them so quickly. I wonder what your two ideas are?" Watanabe Kawasaku immediately turned into a flattery machine, praising Kimura Hiroshi without reservation.

Kikuchi Momoko, who was beside him, was also very happy. Kimura-san did not give up on her because her voice was not very good.

Kimura Hiroshi didn't take such praise seriously. He then shared his thoughts: "The movie Peach-chan is starring in is a high school coming-of-age film, right?"

“Yes, it’s a movie about high school friendships,” her agent quickly added.

"So, my first idea is that since Peach Sauce is confirmed to debut in April, and April is the high school graduation season, plus the high school movie she starred in, I'd like to write a graduation song. Is that okay?" Kimura Hiroshi said, sharing his first idea.

The people from VAP Records across the street, upon hearing this idea, began to whisper amongst themselves. It was indeed a great idea, perfectly in line with the season and the movie starring Momoko Kikuchi.

After discussing it for a while, they all nodded, but they didn't give an answer immediately. Instead, Watanabe Kawasaku continued to ask, "So, what is Kimura-san's second idea?"

The second one is quite simple. Kimura Hiroshi said casually, "April is almost summer. Peach Jam's image is youthful and sunny, so let's write a summer song. This is the simplest idea, and it may be the safest. It's up to you to choose."

He only provides the tracks; how to choose the style is the business of the agency and record company. He won't interfere. Getting involved in other companies' affairs is a big taboo.

Summer songs may seem simple, but they are actually the safest bet. For example, Seiko Matsuda's debut song, "Barefoot Season," was a summer song that sold very well and made her an instant hit. Akina Nakamori's debut song, "Slow Motion," can also be said to have a summer song style, which shows how popular this style is as a debut song.

Both directions were good, but the people at VAP Records were in a dilemma. They discussed it, and although the voices were initially low, the argument gradually grew louder, and even Kimura Hiroshi, who was sitting opposite them, could hear it.

Sitting among a group of staff, Momoko Kikuchi seemed restless at this moment, because she had no say in this matter and could not get involved at all. The production of idol singers' records was mostly determined by the agency and record company. They had no right to participate and could only wait for the company's choice before doing their work.

Idol singers like Hiroki Kimura and Akina Nakamori, who can determine their own style and even choose their own songs and album covers, are rare. This is mainly because Ken-On is too young and not very experienced in idol training, which gave them the opportunity. If other big agencies wanted to interfere with record production, they would be dreaming and throwing a tantrum, and would be shelved.

Having no say, Kikuchi Momoko, as a newcomer, could only wait there for the staff to come up with a result. Her sweet face was full of worry, making her look pitiful.

Hiroshi Kimura had no intention of helping. He and Momoko Kikuchi weren't even friends; this was only their second meeting. He had no reason to lend a hand, and his record company might even see it as meddling.

"This is really intense. Why have I never seen anything like this at Warner Pioneer?" Kimura Hiroshi asked Tomioka Yukio, who was standing next to him, as he watched the argument across from them.

Why don't you know that every time Warner sends a record producer, they're just there for show? You've practically handled the entire record production process, so how could there be any arguments?

"So, Kimura-san, do you want to see a scene like this? If so, you'll see it when your next single is being produced," Yukio Tomioka said with a hint of teasing.

Kimura Hiroshi quickly shook his head and refused decisively, "It's better not to. Such a scene would be too unsightly. It's better for us to maintain a more harmonious working relationship."

After a while, it seemed that the other side had not reached any conclusion. Knowing that continuing the argument might displease Kimura Hiroshi, Watanabe Kawasaku decided to put the argument aside for the time being. He stood up and said apologetically, "I am really sorry to have taken up Kimura-san's time. It is our fault."

Waving his hand, Kimura Hiroshi said, "It's nothing. It's normal to have disagreements at work. So, Mr. Watanabe, have you decided which style you want to choose? If you have, then I'll go back and prepare."

Having come to no avail, Watanabe Kawasaku said apologetically, "Although it's a bit much to say that, could you please have Kimura-san send over songs in both styles so we can make a decision?"

Is this even possible? Isn't this too greedy? Kimura Hiroshi was slightly displeased. Before he could speak, Watanabe Kawasaku spoke first: "We will buy both of them, and Kimura-san will receive 5% of the song's royalties. If Kimura-san is worried about poor sales and low royalties, we will provide a guaranteed minimum payment of no less than 10 million yen per song."

This price is very high. It's a minimum guarantee that the album sales would need to exceed 200,000 copies to reach the ten million yen royalty. 200,000 sales is not easy for a new idol singer, and it can even be said to be very difficult.

With such a sincere offer, what could Kimura Hiroshi say? With the money in hand, everything was negotiable and no problem was insurmountable. He immediately agreed. All talk of a genius's arrogant personality was meaningless to him; money was the most important thing.

Chapter 117 will have a surprise!

Considering Momoko Kikuchi's voice, high-difficulty songs were out of the question, and even low-difficulty songs would be difficult for her to sing. Therefore, only some gentle songs could be chosen. After declining the VAP staff's invitation to dinner that evening, Hiroshi Kimura returned to his apartment and began to think about what kind of song to give Momoko Kikuchi.

Graduation, in Japan, means graduation, which is a very important milestone in life. Therefore, there are many songs created about this, many of which have become famous songs in later generations. Hiroshi Kimura recalls that no fewer than twenty or thirty Japanese singers have created similar well-known songs.

"High notes are out, low notes are out, male-oriented songs are out, so the most suitable one is Saito Yuki's 'Graduation.' Hehe, you two can be considered unfortunate sisters, both of you have not very good vocal conditions. This married man's vocal condition is even worse than Kikuchi Momoko's, so giving this song to her is not a waste."

Like Momoko Kikuchi, Yuki Saito also debuted as an idol. However, born in 84, she is still auditioning and will not officially debut until next year, starring in the tokusatsu drama "Demoko Keiji" and releasing her debut song "Shugo".

This single is quite remarkable. Composed by renowned composer Kyohei Kanmi and with lyrics by Takashi Matsumoto, the song is exquisite in both melody and lyrics. It subtly expresses the faint melancholy and sadness of graduation, as well as the uncertainty about the future, evoking a strong sense of parting.

Unfortunately, Saito Yuki's voice is really limited, and she couldn't bring out its essence. Kikuchi Momoko probably had a hard time as well, but she was probably much better than Saito Yuki.

But what impressed Kimura Hiroshi about Saito Yuki wasn't her singing, but something else. For example, her eyes were big and bright, and she looked very pretty normally. But when she sang, because she couldn't hit the high notes, her eyes would suddenly widen when she strained, and her gaze would become terrifying, staring straight ahead. In an instant, she would transform from a sweet girl into a delinquent girl who wanted to kill, which sent chills down his spine.

Furthermore, this woman's views on love are particularly bizarre. She likes married men, whether she was a young girl or later in life. She always prefers married men and has been exposed for interfering in other people's marriages almost every time. Even after she got married herself, she couldn't change her ways.

"If I get married and meet her, will she try to seduce me?" Kimura Hiroshi began to have strange fantasies, but he felt he could control himself because he knew this woman was also a master at manipulating men, and some people had even committed suicide for her. She was not someone to mess with.