My daily life with the original diva

"Everything is great, and the bar is doing very well, all thanks to Akina's reputation." Speaking of this, Chieko, the mother, was also very happy. The house had never been so prosperous and lively before. Before, everything they did resulted in losses.

Hearing her mother say that, Nakamori Akina was also very happy. She had finally fulfilled her promise to help improve the family's life. After chatting for a while, Nakamori Akina tentatively asked, "Mom, why is a lot of the money that the agency transferred to the company being withheld?"

When asked about this, Chieko, the mother, started to stammer and said, "Everyone, the family thinks that working in a bar is too hard, so we want to take a portion of the money as a share of the profits. Because you are too busy, I didn't discuss it with you beforehand and made the decision on my own."

But Akina Nakamori gripped the phone receiver tightly. She couldn't believe it. She had invested in the bar, and she hadn't even received a single penny of profit. Yet her family was already receiving profits, and from her royalties no less. She calmly said, "Mom, that's not the bar's income, it's my salary."

Chieko, the mother, paused for a moment, unsure how to respond. It was true that she had done something wrong, but her family kept telling her how hard life was, how tough working at the bar was, and how much money Akina had, so why couldn't they get a bigger share? In the end, under the urging and pleading of her family, she couldn't resist and took Akina's share.

Minghong, the older brother who had been tidying up the drinks, suddenly spoke up: "The money is deposited into the company, so everyone has the right to share it. Didn't the largest share go to Akina? What does she need so much money for? Isn't buying so many clothes enough?"

"What nonsense are you talking about, Akihiro? Shut up!" Chieko scolded her son, then quickly explained to her daughter, "Your brother didn't mean that, Akina, listen to me..."

She didn't hear a word her brother said. She did hear what he had just said: those were clearly her royalties, so why should her family members have the right to share them? What about the bar's revenue? She should also have the right to share in that. As an investor, she should take the lion's share, but she didn't receive a single cent.

"Mom, I have to go to work now. I'll call you again next time. Take care of yourself at work." After saying that, she hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, she was completely stunned. Sitting on the nearest sofa, she didn't mind that her family was taking her money, but they didn't even consult her or tell her. They decided to divide her money in private, and they even divided almost half of it, leaving her with no money to do what she wanted to do.

Since she became an idol singer, she seems to have had less communication with her family. Apart from her mother's occasional greetings, when they talk to her, it seems to be all about money. They never ask how she is doing, whether she is lonely outside, or whether her work is going well.

"Akina-san, you're here! Hurry up and go, you have a program on Fuji TV this afternoon, we can't delay any longer." Ms. Noriko found Nakamori Akina and urged her to get to work.

Stiffly and mechanically, Nakamori Akina stood up from the sofa and suddenly blurted out, "Ms. Noriko, they'll all leave me, right?"

"Huh? What?" Miss Noriko was completely taken aback; she didn't even understand what those words meant.

Wiping her eyes, Akina Nakamori suddenly smiled and said, "It's nothing. I shouldn't have said such strange things to Ms. Noriko. Well, work is important. Let's hurry up and leave, lest Mr. Akio scolds us again in a hurry."

Chapter 123 Kimono Girl

"Cut! Great, very good, this take is done." With Takeshi Kitano's shout of "Cut!", cheers erupted from the crew and actors on set, because this take meant that the last shot of the movie was finished, and the filming of the movie, which had lasted for several months, was officially wrapped.

Everyone was happy, and Kimura Hiroshi was also very happy. He shouted to the cheering crowd, "There will be a wrap party tomorrow, everyone remember to come. You can do whatever you want tonight. Staff members are limited to one million yen each, and actors are limited to one million yen each. You can do whatever you want, but don't cause any big news, understand?"

"Understood, thank you so much, sir. You truly are the most generous investor." Both the staff and actors were overjoyed. To enjoy such perks after filming was a surprise; Kimura-san was indeed a generous fellow.

After announcing the news, Kimura Hiroshi called over two Ken-On staff members and instructed them to organize the trip for these people. He also told them not to go too far and that they should settle their expenses with him the next day.

After dealing with all this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Nakamori Akina, who was resting on the side. She didn't join in the commotion but instead watched the noisy crowd with a smile, which was very unlike her usual personality.

Because she's usually a playful person, she would definitely join in the commotion if she saw this scene, but she's unusually calm now. She's been the same these past two days, not teasing him anymore, and often just sitting there lost in thought. When he asks her what's wrong, Nakamori Akina just smiles and says nothing's wrong, she's just a little tired from work pressure.

Kimura Hiroshi naturally didn't believe her. She was a night owl, and even if she worked late into the night, she would be lively and energetic as long as she was in a good mood. Her current state clearly indicated that something was on her mind, but since she didn't say anything, there was nothing Kimura Hiroshi could do but spend more time with her.

Walking up to Akina Nakamori, Hiroshi Kimura said softly, "Akina-san, do you need to get ready? We need to leave for Senso-ji Temple before five o'clock, otherwise we'll miss the fireworks festival."

Looking at Hiroshi Kimura, Akina Nakamori chuckled, stood up, tugged at the beard stuck to his face, and said, "Is Kimura-san really going to our first date looking like a middle-aged man?"

Neither of them had removed their makeup yet. Kimura Hiroshi looked like a middle-aged man, while Nakamori Akina looked like a delinquent girl. It was a little past four in the afternoon. Kimura Hiroshi laughed and said, "I forgot. Okay, I'll go remove my makeup. Akina-san, you should hurry up too."

"I'll go right away, I won't keep Kimura-san waiting for long," Nakamori Akina replied confidently.

She ran to the dressing room, cleaned up her makeup, changed into her own clothes, and after making sure everything was alright, she walked out of the dressing room and ran into Yukio Tomioka.

"Mr. Tomioka, could you please lend me your car tonight?" Kimura Hiroshi said quickly.

As if he had expected this, Yukio Tomioka took the car keys out of his pocket. "Remember not to be recognized, neither you nor Akina-san, understand?"

Nodding, Kimura Hiroshi put on the sunglasses hanging on his clothes, took the car keys, and said, "Understood, Mr. Tomioka. I promise it won't appear in tomorrow's entertainment headlines."

Arriving outside Akina Nakamori's dressing room, he saw the door was closed, but he didn't knock. Instead, he waited outside. Girls always need more time to put on makeup and change clothes than men, so he figured he could just wait.

But he waited for a full half hour, and Kimura Hiroto became a little anxious because time was running out, and there might be traffic jams on the way. If he arrived at Senso-ji Temple late, he didn't know if the monks would take away the things he had prepared in advance.

Just as he was about to knock on the door, Ms. Noriko opened the door to the dressing room, and a girl in a kimono walked out. The light blue kimono had many small floral patterns on it, giving it a spring-like feel. Her hair was simply gathered up and secured with a hairpin adorned with several butterfly ornaments, which fluttered as she moved, showcasing her youth and beauty. Kimura Hiroshi was stunned when he saw Nakamori Akina in a kimono for the first time.

"What's wrong, Kimura-san? Doesn't it look good?" Nakamori Akina asked curiously, standing in front of Kimura Hiroshi with a smile.

“No, no, Akina-san doesn’t like wearing kimonos, she always thinks they’re too troublesome,” Kimura Hiroshi said, coming back to his senses.

Akina Nakamori would only reluctantly wear a kimono if required by a program or when singing. Otherwise, she would never wear one because she found it troublesome and restrictive. Normally, she preferred Western-style dresses because they were simpler, more fashionable, and allowed her to move freely without feeling restricted. But today, she actually wore a kimono, which she didn't like.

"It's all because of you. You're so clueless. Wearing a kimono to a first date would make you look more formal," Ms. Noriko complained from the side.

"Don't say that, Ms. Noriko. I only wore a kimono when I went to Senso-ji Temple. After all, it's a prayer trip, so I needed to dress formally," Akina Nakamori quickly explained, not wanting to put too much pressure on Hiroshi Kimura.

Regardless, it showed that Nakamori Akina valued this date. Kimura Hiroshi could sense it, and he smiled and said, "It's beautiful. Let's go then, Akina-san, Noriko-san."

Because there were still staff members outside, and to avoid suspicion, they still needed their assistants and agents to cover for them. Accompanied by Ms. Noriko, they walked out of the film set without attracting any unnecessary attention.

After seeing the two off to their car, Ms. Noriko waved goodbye, saying, "Have fun, Akina-san. Kimura-san, remember to bring Akina-san back safely!"

"Don't worry, Ms. Noriko, I guarantee that Akina-san will be returned to her apartment with not a single hair missing," Kimura Hiroshi assured her.

After giving his instructions, Kimura Hiroshi started the car, and Nakamori Akina, dressed in a kimono, sat in the passenger seat. As for her role, it was obviously to look at the map, since Kimura Hiroshi had no idea how to get to Senso-ji Temple. Without navigation, he would need a human navigation system, and Nakamori Akina was the perfect choice.

At this time of day, it would be abnormal if the streets of Tokyo weren't congested. Fortunately, it wasn't rush hour yet. With the traffic coming and going, it wasn't until after 6 p.m. that the two of them arrived at the parking lot outside Senso-ji Temple.

It was already quite dark at six o'clock in April, and people's faces were not visible in the distance. Kimura Hiroshi walked directly to Nakamori Akina's side and extended his arm.

Akina Nakamori immediately understood, reaching out to put her arm around Hiroshi Kimura's arm and resting her head on his shoulder. The two walked towards Senso-ji Temple, arm in arm, just like any ordinary couple in love.

Chapter 124 The Lucky Girl

"Sigh, doesn't Senso-ji Temple close at 5 PM every day? How come we can still go in today?"

"I don't know. I heard that we can draw lots tonight to enter the main hall to pray for blessings and offer incense. Why don't we go and try it out?"

"Great! I've never seen what Senso-ji Temple looks like at night before. I wonder if I'll be so lucky. Wait, do those two people in front of me look familiar? Ah, that guy looks like Kimura-chan, and that woman looks like Akina-chan."

"No, no, the streetlights are too dim, I can't see clearly. Are you sure you're not mistaken? How could such a big star be shopping here? Don't waste time, or we won't be able to get into Senso-ji Temple. Let's hurry over."

The area around Senso-ji Temple is a bustling commercial street with various shops lining the roadside. Even though it's a weekday, the area is still very lively in the evening, with many people strolling and enjoying themselves.

This also gave Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori an advantage. Hiroshi Kimura wore sunglasses to disguise himself slightly, while Akina Nakamori wore a kimono. Because she rarely appeared on television in this image, some people thought she looked like that top female idol, but they couldn't be sure. According to common sense, what female idol would dare to go out shopping with her boyfriend so openly?

The journey to Senso-ji Temple was extremely difficult. Along the way, there were all sorts of snacks, their aromas filling the air. Nakamori Akina, who hadn't eaten dinner, couldn't resist the temptation. She kept asking for this and that, so Kimura Hiroshi had to stop and buy them for her.

"Hey, you can't eat anymore, Akina-san! If you eat any more, you'll miss the time to pray for blessings. Come on upstairs with me." Kimura Hiroshi pulled Nakamori Akina away from the food stalls.

"Ah, my takoyaki! How cruel, Kimura-san, to not let me eat such delicious takoyaki." While still chewing on something, she looked at other things.

After finally dragging Akina Nakamori along, we arrived at the main gate of Senso-ji Temple. There were many people gathered there, all wanting to enter the temple, as it usually closes at night and rarely opens its doors to welcome tourists to pray and offer incense.

"Master, why isn't the door open yet? Didn't you say we could go in to pray and offer incense?"

"Yeah, they said we'd get in by lottery, so why isn't it open yet? How long are we going to have to wait?"

The monk guarding the door was also very anxious, because the customer had not yet appeared, so how could he just open the door? But more and more people were coming, and it was getting later and later. If the customer didn't come soon, he would have no choice but to open the door early.

Just then, he saw a tall figure behind the group raise his hand and make a gesture towards him. This was the pre-arranged code. He looked over and saw a tall young man wearing sunglasses and a beautiful young woman. They matched.

"Amitabha Buddha, I've kept you all waiting. Now please come forward and draw lots. If your slip of paper has the character '进' (meaning 'enter') on it, you can enter. If not, please leave. There are only twenty spots available. Good luck to everyone," the monk said, bowing.

When Nakamori Akina heard that she would have to draw lots to get in, she was a little confused. Wasn't it Kimura-san who arranged the fireworks festival for good luck? How come she might not even be able to get in now?

"Oh dear, Kimura-san, we need to draw lots to get in, what should we do?" Nakamori Akina asked anxiously.

“Yes, you have to draw lots to get in. It’s unexpected. Well then, let Akina-san draw lots. Maybe she’ll have good luck.” Kimura Hiroya pretended to be very troubled.

Akina Nakamori was even more confused, and even a little dazed. She quickly said, "No, no, I've never won anything before, not even the smallest prize."

She was completely confused about what was going on. There were hundreds of people there, but only twenty spots available. She had never had such good luck before.

Regardless of what Nakamori Akina thought or said, Kimura Hiroshi pulled her to join the queue, took a slip of paper from a box, and quickly got it to them. Kimura Hiroshi then told Nakamori Akina to go and draw a slip.

A bewildered Akina Nakamori could only pull out a slip of paper from the box, then leave the lottery line and ask Hiroshi Kimura next to her, "Shall we open it now, Kimura-san?"

"Let me see if Akina-san has any good luck. Ah, Akina-san, there seems to be something hanging on the back of your kimono. Clean it up quickly." Kimura Hiroshi took the note and suddenly said to Nakamori Akina.

"No, no, there's nothing there. Humph, Kimura-san is just teasing me again." Nakamori Akina turned around to check behind her, but there was nothing there. Just as she was about to confront Kimura-san, she saw the note that Kimura Hiroshi had opened, with a big "进" (meaning "progress") on it.

Pretending to be surprised, Kimura Hiroshi waved the slip of paper in front of Nakamori Akina and said, "Lucky Akina-san, you actually drew it right away, it's really unbelievable."

"Ah, I won! I actually won! This is so amazing! I actually won!" Seeing that she had won, Nakamori Akina grabbed Kimura Hiro's arm and jumped up and down with joy. She never thought she would have such good luck.

Meanwhile, Kimura Hiroshi, standing nearby, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, the slip of paper that Nakamori Akina had just drawn had no words on it. The slips with words on them had been in his pocket all along. He had just quickly switched them, and now the blank slip of paper was in his pocket. There were actually only nineteen slips with words on them in the lottery box.

What if someone draws a card with words on it? No problem, the monk will just say that one card was missing, and then have someone bring another card with words on it for everyone to draw.

One by one, the other slips of paper with writing on them were opened, and the people who were drawn were very happy, with many shouting excitedly.

Everyone comes here to pray for good luck in the future. If you're already lucky at the door and got a spot among so many people, then your luck won't be too bad in the future. That's human nature. Nakamori Akina is like that now, but this is only the first step.

Those who drew the winning numbers handed their slips of paper to the monks at the door and then went inside one by one. When it was Kimura Hiroshi's and Nakamori Akina's turn, the monk gestured to Kimura Hiroshi, the meaning of which was clear: everything inside was also arranged.

Upon entering Senso-ji Temple, Akina Nakamori was extremely excited because of her good luck. She chattered incessantly to Hiroshi Kimura, almost telling him all the lottery-related things she had failed to win over the years, and even forgot her original purpose.

There were twenty spots available, but actually forty or fifty people came in. Everyone was looking around Senso-ji Temple at night, but the lighting was dim, and they couldn't see anything clearly until they entered the main hall, where it was brightly lit.

Everyone started to pray and offer incense. Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori followed suit. Then came the fortune-telling. Almost every Japanese person who comes to the temple does this. They only believe in good fortune slips. If the slip is good, they take it with them. If it is bad, they tie it up and put it on the fortune-telling rack outside the temple, hoping to resolve the bad luck.

At this moment, another monk came out, followed by several young novices. They were carrying many divination sticks and looked at the crowd that had entered. He said, "Amitabha, you are all people with great destiny, able to draw a spot to enter this temple. Therefore, you cannot draw lots in the usual way."

Each of the divination sticks in my container contains one hundred sticks, but only one is auspicious. If you draw the lucky one, it means that person will have great fortune in the future. Would you like to draw one?

Chapter 125 This is her great fortune

"Master, I'll draw." Just as everyone present was hesitating, Kimura Hiroshi was the first to raise his hand, but he made a strange gesture with his fingers as he raised his hand.

Upon seeing his gesture, the monk immediately understood. He examined the divination tube in the novice's hand and gave one with a small notch to Kimura Hiroshi.

"Kimura-san, only one in a hundred is a good fortune stick. How could we possibly get one? Let's go and draw a regular one instead." Nakamori Akina whispered to Kimura Hiroshi as she looked at the fortune stick container he had. Who wouldn't want to get a good fortune stick when they come to a temple? Getting one in a hundred is just too difficult.

Handing the lottery tube to Akina Nakamori, Hiroshi Kimura looked at her with a very certain gaze and said, "Akina-san had such good luck just now, drawing the first one directly. I believe you can do it this time too."

"Is it okay?" Akina Nakamori asked somewhat uncertainly.

“Sure, I’ll hold your hand and we’ll smoke together in a bit,” Kimura Hiroshi said firmly.

The monk, holding the divination stick container, continued, "Does anyone else want to draw a stick? This is a great blessing; doesn't anyone want to try?"

"Master, I want one too." With Kimura Hiroshi setting an example, the others had no more reservations and all took the fortune sticks, ready to see if they were the ones with great fortune.

Soon, all twenty people who had entered received a lottery box. Looking at the densely packed hundred sticks inside, no one knew whether they would draw a good one.

"Then, please draw lots, everyone. This humble monk is also very much looking forward to seeing who among you is the one with great fortune," the monk said with great anticipation.

After he finished speaking, the whole hall was filled with the sound of shaking the fortune-telling tubes. Standing behind Nakamori Akina, Kimura Hiroshi hugged Nakamori Akina tightly, then grabbed her hand and began to shake the fortune-telling tubes.

Leaning against Hiroshi Kimura's chest, Akina Nakamori had no mind to care about the fortune sticks. Smelling Hiroshi Kimura's scent, she felt hot all over, her face flushed, and her mind began to wander into fantasies.