My daily life with the original diva

"She's really generous, but why would she take out a loan? Logically, her royalties should be enough." Kimura Hiroshi frowned and thought for a moment, then quickly realized the answer: the money must have been taken by someone else.

No wonder she was often lost in thought and spacing out during those days of filming; it must have been because of this incident. And this is just the beginning. Nakamori Akina will have to pay even more later. Money is a minor issue; there's also the emotional betrayal.

"Can we return this car now, Mr. Nogi?" Kimura Hiroshi asked. He had very little need for a car at the moment. If he needed one, he could just use the company's car for free. Why should he buy one himself? He would have to pay for maintenance and gas later. Wouldn't it be better to invest that money in real estate?

This is the first time I've seen such a strange young man. Any young man would be overjoyed to see a luxury car, but this guy's first thought upon seeing the car was to ask for a refund. It seems like someone bought the car for him as a gift.

"Um, Mr. Kimura, you can get a refund, but we can only treat it as a used car and offer you 40% of the purchase price," Nogi Mayuki said calmly.

What a shrewd businessman! The car hasn't even been unloaded from the truck yet, and it's already a used car, instantly depreciating by 60%. That's really ruthless. Haha, he'll definitely sell it back as a new car, making a profit from both ends.

Since a refund was impossible, Kimura Hiroshi couldn't let Nakamori Akina continue repaying the loan, so he asked, "Then can I repay the loan myself?"

"That's also not possible. We will deduct the loan amount from the buyer's bank account every month. If Mr. Kimura really wants to repay, he can directly transfer the money into the buyer's bank account," Nogi Mayu replied calmly.

It seemed that he had no choice but to accept the car and then discuss other matters with Akina Nakamori. Kimura Hiroshi did not ask any more questions and went to check the car that had been unloaded from the truck. It was a silver sedan. How to put it, the design was very conservative. From Kimura Hiroshi's perspective forty years later, it was an antique.

The interior is very luxurious, and there's even a car refrigerator, which is great, at least you can put Nakamori Akina's favorite ice cream in the car.

After checking and test driving to confirm there were no problems, the car was officially handed over to him, and the dealership staff left.

After parking the car, Kimura Hiroshi returned to his apartment and immediately called Nakamori Akina, but the phone rang for a long time without being answered. He knew that Nakamori Akina had already left home to start her day's work, heading to various program venues.

"It's really inconvenient not being able to contact her without a cell phone. That brat, she really doesn't value money. Investing over ten million yen in real estate, how much will it be in a few years? Buying a beat-up car is such a waste. I'll give her a piece of my mind at the wrap party tonight." Kimura Hiroshi thought angrily, forgetting that he only spent over ten million yen to give Nakamori Akina a surprise.

In fact, they are the same type of people when it comes to relationships.

Chapter 128 The Feelings of Those Around Us

Akina Nakamori was acting very strangely today. Her assistant, Noriko, and manager, Yoshizawa Akiyuki, sensed it as soon as she came out of the apartment. Before getting into the car, she greeted them warmly and then sat quietly in the back seat. After the car started, she kept looking at the scenery outside the window and would occasionally laugh. It was clear to anyone that she was in a very good mood.

"Ah, Kimura-san is really amazing. He managed to calm Akina-san down after just one date. The other day, she was either sleeping or spacing out in the car." Akiyuki Yoshizawa, sitting in the passenger seat, whispered to Ms. Noriko.

As her manager, Akiyuki Yoshizawa knew exactly what had happened a few days ago. Almost half of the first royalties of her popular idol had been taken by her family, and she had no idea beforehand. You can imagine how she felt.

Actually, this was Ken-on's intention. They did nothing to stop Akina's family from doing things that were against common sense. That account was under Ken-on's control, so it would have been easy to stop them. As for why Ken-on would do this, Akio Yoshizawa probably knew. In Japan, controlling artists by sending money to their families is not a new thing.

As his manager, he couldn't really do anything because it was the president, Hanami Kaku, who made the decision. He wasn't Kimura Hiroshi, who had the power to oppose Hanami Kaku. If he dared to oppose Hanami Kaku, he might be kicked out.

However, this does not mean that Akiyuki Yoshizawa was indifferent to this. He had watched Nakamori Akina grow from a clueless little girl to a top idol like she is today, and he was not completely indifferent to this artist under his wing.

Now that Hiroshi Kimura has appeared, at least Akina Nakamori has an emotional anchor, which is the best thing. If family members are unreliable, having a reliable lover is also acceptable. This is what he is happy to see, so that Akina Nakamori won't feel that the people around her are untrustworthy.

“Of course! Mr. Akiyuki, you probably don’t know, but there really was a fireworks display at Senso-ji Temple yesterday. The media reported on this rare event this morning. Do you remember what Kimura-san mentioned a few days ago?” Ms. Noriko said mysteriously in a low voice.

Speaking of this, Akiyuki Yoshizawa remembered that he was wondering where the fireworks festival at Senso-ji Temple came from. He thought Kimura Hiroshi was just lying, but it turned out to be true. It couldn't be a coincidence.

"Then there's only one possibility," said Akiyuki Yoshizawa with a hint of surprise. "You mean Kimura-san organized a fireworks display for Akina-san at Senso-ji Temple?"

Nodding vigorously, Ms. Noriko confirmed it was true. Her eyes sparkled as she said, "I really envy Akina-san. Someone actually organized a fireworks festival just for her. How romantic! No wonder I admire Kimura-san."

She got a little excited as she spoke, and the car sped up considerably. Akiyuki Yoshizawa, who was sitting next to her, was also shocked by her actions. He didn't quite understand the behavior of young people these days. How much does a fireworks display like this cost? And it's at Senso-ji Temple! With so much money, it must cost at least seven or eight million yen, which is almost his annual salary. It's such a waste.

"Actually, it's not just the fireworks festival." Suddenly, a voice came from the back seat of the car. The two people in the front were startled. They thought they were speaking very quietly, but they were heard. Their faces turned a little red. Two adults talking about a girl's gossip and being overheard was really too embarrassing.

Seeing their embarrassed expressions, Akina Nakamori became even happier, covering her mouth and laughing. The car interior was so small that she could hear even the quietest voices, let alone the gossip they were talking about. She found it quite amusing to tease these usually serious staff members, especially when they embarrassed themselves.

No one spoke again; the atmosphere was just too awkward. When they arrived at the TV station and started working, they finally spoke, and all they talked about were work and program arrangements.

During the show's rehearsal, even the TV station staff and other celebrities who came to participate noticed that Nakamori Akina was different today. She seemed more active than usual and laughed a lot—the kind of genuine, happy laughter.

The staff at the TV station felt it the most. For some reason, the microphones used by the production crew kept echoing today, especially during Akina Nakamori's rehearsal. It happened several times and they couldn't fix it.

Normally, Akina Nakamori would have scolded them long ago. She's been like that since her debut, very strict with her work and hates wasting time. But today, instead of scolding them, she patiently told them not to rush and to take their time, which made the TV station staff feel flattered.

"Akina-san is acting very strangely today. She's being so gentle. It's a bit scary. Mr. Akiyuki, what happened?" The program's producer came to Akiyuki Yoshizawa with some apprehension to ask.

She's actually scared of not being scolded? Does she have a masochistic streak? Of course, she couldn't say the real reason, so Akiyuki Yoshizawa could only laugh it off and say, "Akina-san is in a good mood today, so don't worry. Just follow the usual procedure, and there won't be any problems."

However, Akina Nakamori's good mood didn't last long because a big problem arose: the sparkling diamond ring on her left middle finger was too dazzling, especially when she was singing and her hands were moving around a lot, making it hard to miss.

This diamond ring is quite large, weighing two carats, and has extremely high purity. It sparkles under the lights, and some female celebrities who like these kinds of things can notice it as soon as it flashes by.

The way rings are worn in Japan follows the Western tradition, with the middle finger signifying being in love. As a result, some celebrities she knew came over to ask her if she was in a relationship.

This bothered Akina Nakamori somewhat, as she actually disliked having her private affairs exposed too much in public, especially this relationship that she cherished so much.

Because she had felt the malice of the entertainment industry since her debut, she knew that if her relationship were exposed, it would inevitably attract a lot of rumors and strange comments. She did not want external forces to ruin her relationship with Kimura-san.

But if she took off the ring, wouldn't that be disrespectful to Kimura-san's feelings? It would also be a bad omen. This put Nakamori Akina in a dilemma.

There was no other way, so she had to consult with Ms. Noriko, since it was impossible to hide a relationship from one's manager and assistant.

Seeing the sparkling diamond ring, Ms. Noriko's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed in amazement, "Not only did Kimura-san prepare a fireworks festival for Akina-san, but he also gave her a two-carat diamond ring. It's really enviable. But this is easy to solve. Akina-san can just wear more rings on her hands. That way, if anyone asks, you can just brush it off."

It has to be said that this was a brilliant idea. Nakamori Akina immediately understood. "It really is a brilliant idea. Thank you so much, Ms. Noriko. I'll go and put two more rings on my hand right now."

Chapter 129 Everyone Has Their Own Plans

The wrap party was held at an izakaya in Roppongi. As a famous nightlife district in Tokyo's Minato Ward, it is home to many upscale residential areas and office buildings, and many television stations are located here, so even a casual izakaya is not cheap.

But Hiroshi Kimura still booked this place, requesting two large private rooms and inviting all the main staff and actors of the film. This was not because he was being greedy; it was to cultivate his image as a generous investor, since no one dislikes a generous investor.

First, he sat with the main actors for a while, and then returned to the private box where Takeshi Kitano was. There were relatively few people in the box, only the main actors of the film, Takeshi Kitano and a few staff members he brought, and Hiroshi Kimura's manager and assistant.

I wonder what time Takeshi Kitano stayed out last night. It's already the second night, and he still has dark circles under his eyes and his eyes are bloodshot. Of course, that doesn't stop him from drinking tonight, and he's drinking a lot.

"This is really boring. Just sitting here drinking. Kimura-san, wouldn't it be more interesting to go to Ginza and find some pretty girls?" Takeshi Kitano said casually as he saw Hiroshi Kimura come in.

"Heh, Mr. Kitano is really bold. I heard you saw three women last night. Aren't you afraid of killing yourself?" Kimura Hiroshi genuinely felt that if he continued to play like this, he would eventually kill himself.

Unexpectedly, Takeshi Kitano burst into laughter, patted his chest, and said, "Three more tonight, no problem."

"Kimura-san, don't listen to his nonsense. I went to wake him up this afternoon, and he was sleeping like a log. I couldn't wake him up at all. I finally managed to get him up, but he tripped and fell every three steps. If he goes to see a woman tonight, he'll definitely die in bed." Matsuo Bannai, a film set planner who works with Takeshi Kitano, mercilessly exposed Kitano's weakness.

The entire private room erupted in laughter. Takeshi Kitano, who had been exposed, wasn't angry at all. Instead, he started joking around, saying, "Those three women are vixens! They almost drained me dry. If it weren't for me, Takeshi Kitano, the others would definitely be on their way to the Western Paradise."

Another burst of laughter erupted. Kimura Hiroshi didn't seem to care much. There were ladies in the private room, and it wasn't appropriate to tell such vulgar and suggestive jokes. However, both men and women present seemed to take it for granted. Several ladies were whispering among themselves when they heard the man's vulgar joke, and two of them even laughed along.

The atmosphere was pleasant with laughter and conversation, but then Kimura Hiroshi got down to business, "This collaboration with Kitano-san has impressed me with your exceptional supervisory abilities. I wonder if Kitano-san would be interested in a deeper collaboration?"

When it came to serious matters, everyone stopped laughing, and the private room became quite quiet. Takeshi Kitano stared at Hiroshi Kimura for a while before speaking, "Actually, Kimura-san and I are not on the same page. This collaboration started purely because your script was excellent. I was able to tolerate the intermittent filming later only because of the money. I don't think we need to continue our in-depth collaboration."

"You refused? That's alright," Kimura Hiroshi continued. "It doesn't matter if we're not on the same path, as long as we have the money. Kitano-san, you must have a movie you want to make, but making movies is very expensive."

These words startled Takeshi Kitano, who was drinking. Although his main job now is performing manzai on television programs, he actually prefers making movies and wants to capture the things in his heart on film.

He really wanted to preserve the things he saw when he was young and hanging out on the streets in a film.

However, this is not easy, because making a movie is not just about knowing how to make it; it also requires money. For example, the movie that Hiroshi Kimura is currently making has already cost more than 80 million yen in actual investment. There are still costs for editing, special effects, and so on, so it is estimated that it will take more than 100 million yen to complete the project.

Although he earns a lot from appearing on TV stand-up comedy shows, it's far from enough to make a movie. Even with the director's fee, it's still not enough, because he earns a lot but also spends a lot, as you can tell from how often he dates women. As for finding investors, it's really not easy for a newcomer like him to get investment, and his personality doesn't allow him to ask for favors from just anyone.

"If Kitano-san is willing to cooperate with me in depth, for every two films I request that are completed, I will invest in one film that Kitano-san wants to make. Of course, the premise is that I think the script is feasible after reading it before I will invest." Kimura Hiroshi continued to offer tempting conditions.

No one could have imagined that Takeshi Kitano, who now resembles a Yakuza, would one day become an internationally renowned director. By squeezing him dry while he's still young, Hiroshi Kimura would definitely make a huge profit. Even when he becomes famous, having his name on film directorial credits would be a huge form of publicity.

In addition, he has many good movies in mind that can make money, but he would be too busy to act in or supervise them all himself, so he needs to recruit a group of people to work for him, and Takeshi Kitano is a suitable candidate.

Of course, to spread the risk, it's not enough to bring in just Takeshi Kitano. This guy is not easy to control. He needs more tools and supervisors to help him make money by making movies. These supervisors don't need to be outstanding. They just need to be obedient and have long-term contracts to lock them in, so they don't have too many ideas.

Of course, there's no rush to find someone to work with. We'll have plenty of time to find someone when record sales completely collapse. Right now, let's get Takeshi Kitano on board and make good use of him for two years.

It has to be said that the conditions proposed by Kimura Hiroshi were very tempting, and Kitano Takeshi was somewhat interested. However, the thought that he, a guy in his thirties, would be at the mercy of this teenage brat made him feel like a complete failure. In addition, he also had his own considerations.

"We'll see. Right now, I just want to focus on acting. I'll talk to Kimura-san about making movies again when I feel like it." Takeshi Kitano still refused, but not completely.

Matsuo Banai, standing next to him, couldn't understand his friend's thoughts. His friend clearly enjoyed the feeling of being in control on set and often told them that he wanted to make the movies he envisioned. Why did he refuse? He couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Why did you refuse, Kitano? This kid is offering a lot of money and can even help you make movies."

"I just don't want to put up with this brat's attitude for now. Besides, if I agree to everything he says, I'll lose face and it'll make me look like I'm begging him. I'll wait a while. If the movie does well at the box office, maybe someone else will be willing to invest in us. Then I can talk to him and get better terms." Takeshi Kitano said quietly, sharing his thoughts.

This guy may seem rude and unrestrained, but he's actually quite shrewd and knows how to maximize his profits. Even Matsuo Bannai had to admire him and gave him a thumbs up; he hadn't expected that at all.

"You're stringing me along. You're overthinking it. Takeshi Kitano isn't irreplaceable." Hiroshi Kimura smiled and said, "Since Mr. Kitano has said so, let's leave it at that for now. I look forward to working with Mr. Kitano again someday."

That concludes the discussion. Although the outcome wasn't great, Kimura Hiroshi wasn't too concerned. In his eyes, these supervisors were just tools, differing only in rank. If he couldn't get the big ones, he'd just find a small one; their roles weren't actually that different.

Everyone continued eating, drinking, chatting and laughing. Just as everyone was about to leave, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open. It was Nakamori Akina, followed by her manager and assistant.

"I'm so sorry everyone, there was a bit of an accident during the recording of the show, so I'm late. I'm really so sorry." As soon as she entered the private room, Nakamori Akina apologized to everyone present. After all, she was the female lead, and it was such a shame that she was so late for the wrap party.

Chapter 130 Who is the closest person?

Upon entering the private room, Akina Nakamori naturally walked to Hiro Kimura's side. Then, Yukio Tomioka, who was sitting next to Hiro Kimura, naturally gave up his seat so that Akina Nakamori could sit next to Hiro Kimura. Everything was so natural that the people in the private room were used to it. The two were very close on set, and many people guessed that they were a couple. Now it seems that their guess was correct.

"The banquet is almost over and the leading lady is only just arriving. It's really rude of us. Come on, have a drink as an apology to everyone." Takeshi Kitano, who had already drunk a lot, started causing trouble again.

Nakamori Akina, who was indeed late, was already a little embarrassed. Hearing Kitano Takeshi say that, she picked up her wine glass and was about to pour herself a drink, but Kimura Hiroshi stopped her just as she was about to get the wine.

"Has Kitano-san forgotten even the law? Akina-san is not yet an adult, how can she drink alcohol? Look, I'm drinking juice, Akina-san should drink juice too," Kimura Hiroshi said calmly.

If the people here are all staff members of Ken-On or Warner Music, then Hiroshi Kimura might drink, and he would also allow Akina Nakamori to drink, because people from agencies or record companies wouldn't say anything outside, nor would they dare to say anything outside, because casually leaking information about the agency's artists is a major taboo.

However, there are still many people here who were brought by Takeshi Kitano. He can't guarantee that these people won't gossip and spread rumors. He has to be careful in everything he does, otherwise it's not impossible for him to capsize in a ditch.

It was only then that Takeshi Kitano noticed that the glass in front of Hiroshi Kimura contained orange juice, which he hadn't noticed before, assuming that Kimura was drinking alcohol like the others.

After a moment's thought, he remembered that the agent had been taking a bottle of juice out from under the table every now and then. He had assumed that the middle-aged agent had some kind of taboo against drinking alcohol, but it turned out that it was for Kimura Hiroshi.

"This kid is really terrifying, always on guard against others." Takeshi Kitano couldn't help but think this. This young guy was sometimes really meticulous.

He picked up the juice and poured it into the glass in front of Akina Nakamori, then gestured for her to toast everyone present, since she was indeed late and this was a way of expressing her apology.

Seeing Kimura Hiroshi's series of actions, Nakamori Akina was initially a little confused about why he was doing this. However, she wasn't stupid; she just wasn't good at studying. She quickly understood and raised her glass of juice, saying, "I'm sorry I'm late. I'm still young and can't drink alcohol, so I'll use juice instead."

After saying that, he finished his drink and continued to sit next to Hiroshi Kimura.

Looking at the leftovers on the table, which were clearly inedible, he called Michiko to his side and whispered in her ear, "Go and ask the waiter to bring some new dishes, choose the ones that Akina-san likes."

However, he didn't say a word to Nakamori Akina beside him because he was still angry. He had spent over ten million yen on a car, which was such a waste, and he had to make Nakamori Akina understand the consequences of wasting money.

Kitano Takeshi and the others, who had been partying too wildly last night, drank quite a bit today and were already too tired to stand. They got up and left to go back and rest. Soon, only Kimura Hiroshi, Nakamori Akina and their two staff members remained in the private room.

The new dishes arrived, and Nakamori Akina, who was already very hungry, saw that they were all her favorites, and her appetite was immediately whetted. She began to eat very hard.

"Wow, this is so delicious! I've been busy all day, and I'm finally eating something good. Did Kimura-san order all of this?" she asked while eating Nakamori Akina.

But Kimura Hiroshi didn't respond to her words. Instead, he said, "After you finish eating, I have something I want to talk to you about privately. Is that alright, Mr. Akiyuki?"

Hearing this, Akiyuki Yoshizawa, who was also eating, looked up at Nakamori Akina and saw her shaking her head frantically, as if telling him not to agree. Akiyuki Yoshizawa found it amusing; it was like a child who had done something wrong asking for help.

"Ah, I'm already full. I just need to go to the restroom. Excuse me, Mr. Tomioka. Would you like to come with me?" Ignoring Nakamori Akina's plea for help, Akiyuki was about to pull her away and leave the two of them alone.