My daily life with the original diva

"No, that's not a good idea, Kimura-san. Jingu Stadium is a super large venue that can hold 35,000 people. No idol singer has ever held a concert there. It's too big. If you're not satisfied with the Tokyo Gymnasium, you can go to the Budokan. It can hold more than 15,000 people."

Terahina Akira, who was standing to the side, was the first to react and immediately expressed his opposition. Holding a concert at Jingu Stadium was really audacious. With 35,000 people, could they really sell that many concert tickets?

“Yes, Kimura-san, Jingu Stadium is really too big. If there are not enough people to attend, we’ll probably be ridiculed by the entertainment media for months. I don’t think you want that to happen, do you?” It was rare for Yukio Tomioka to stand up and object. The main reason was that the risk was too great. Losing a little money was a small matter. If the media made a news story about it, it would really be a loss.

No one present would agree with his idea. Kimura Hiroshi had roughly guessed this before he brought it up. In fact, he himself was not confident. But since it was his first time holding a concert, he wanted to do something big. A conventional one would be too boring and would not fit his image in the eyes of the media and the public.

"Forcing them won't work; we can only persuade them," Kimura Hiroshi said to everyone. "I know this is risky, but I still want to try. How about this, we can conduct a survey through the fan club to see how many people are willing to attend my concert. It should be noted that I only hold one concert per year. If the number of attendees doesn't reach the capacity of Jingu Stadium, then I'm willing to hold the concert at Budokan."

Seeing that Kimura Hiroshi was willing to compromise, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. Having gone through so much, they knew Kimura Hiroshi's personality well; he was the kind of person who wouldn't give up until he achieved his goal. Now that he was willing to compromise, it was good news for everyone.

“Yes, that’s the safest way to do it. If there are that many people who want to see Kimura-san’s concert, it’s not impossible to hold the concert at Jingu Stadium. After all, Kimura-san’s debut album is the best among all idol debut songs, so the first concert should be a big event.” Hanami Kaku said in agreement.

In reality, he wasn't very optimistic. Although Hiroshi Kimura was extremely popular, it would probably be difficult to hold such a large concert. He wasn't very optimistic about the survey results. If 20,000 people were willing to go to the concert, that would be an excellent result.

Now that we've decided to do this, the next step is to discuss some details of the survey questionnaire. After half an hour of discussion, we finally finalized everything.

"Then it's settled. Let's send out the questionnaires first and see how it goes. If the results are good, we can launch a large-scale advertising campaign. Actually, if this concert is successful, it will be a huge publicity event for Kimura-san, since it's an achievement that no one has ever accomplished before," Terabayashi Akira said with a hint of longing.

For an idol singer, having over 30,000 people attend their first concert is a huge gimmick. It allows the public to witness Hiroshi Kimura's popularity, and the publicity effect is undoubtedly excellent. The problem is whether it can actually be organized.

"Let's get on with the survey first. It'll take half a month. We'll see how we do it once we achieve our goal. Okay, that concludes the meeting." Hua Jianhe made his final remarks. The meeting ended, and everyone had to get back to work, as it was quite a demanding task.

But just as Kimura Hiroshi got up to leave, Hanami Kagami stopped him. "Kimura-san, wait a moment. Your supplementary contract has been drafted and you need to sign it. By the way, Mr. Nozaki wants to talk to you in person. You're free this afternoon, so let's do it at 2 PM."

Chapter 162 Clash with the Spokesperson of the Conglomerate

When Kimura Hiro first joined Ken-On, although he was outstanding in both appearance and singing ability, he was still just a rookie idol who had just debuted. Therefore, when signing the artist contract, it was enough for Hanami Kagami, the nominal president, to agree.

However, his growth rate in just one year since his debut is absolutely outstanding, comparable to Pink Lady back then. He also became popular at an incredible speed in his first year, with all of his singles and albums selling more than a million copies.

However, Pink Lady has achieved the feat of having five consecutive singles sell over a million copies. Hiroshi Kimura has only released four singles so far, with three of them selling over a million copies. His latest single, Eat You Up, is about to reach a million copies. This means that he needs to release another single that sells over a million copies to achieve the same success as Pink Lady, and it would have to be a consecutive release.

This is no easy feat, considering that the record market has shrunk considerably compared to its heyday. Two of his previous albums only achieved million-selling status thanks to his incredible hype, and Kimura Hiroshi himself doesn't know if he can reach that level again.

However, he was also the only superstar in the 1980s who could possibly achieve this. The contract changes were no longer something that Hanami Kagami, the nominal president, could decide, as was the case when he joined Ken-On.

It also requires the consent of the Sasakawa Group, the boss behind Ken-On, since they are the actual controllers of Ken-On. Therefore, Nozaki Toshio, the head of the Sasakawa Group in the entertainment industry, needs to talk to him.

At 3 p.m., Kimura Hiroshi arrived at Ken-On's conference room on time and saw Nozaki Toshio, whom he had met once before at the celebration party for the first single, already waiting. Compared to his polite and smiling demeanor at the celebration party last time, this time he sat in the main seat with a serious expression and did not stand up to greet Kimura Hiroshi.

The nearly fifty-year-old representative of the Sasakawa Group in the entertainment industry was exuding an imposing aura. His serious expression and imposing presence were evident. He was clearly dissatisfied with some of Kimura Hiroshi's recent actions, so his previous politeness had vanished. He wanted to intimidate Kimura Hiroshi from the very beginning and gain the upper hand in the upcoming conversation.

Hiroshi Kimura dared not underestimate Nosaki Toshio. The Sasakawa Group entered the entertainment industry very late, much later than other major forces. This was actually very disadvantageous for them, because the entertainment market and circles were already fixed. When a newcomer suddenly squeezed in, others would naturally reject and squeeze him out, trying to drive out this new competitor.

However, Ken-On managed to carve out a niche in the entertainment industry by relying on Nozaki Shuno and Hanami Kaku, the president he poached from a Japanese television station. Signing Nakamori Akina was a stroke of genius. With this superstar idol, Ken-On completely established itself in the entertainment industry and finally transformed in the 21st century, becoming a top-tier agency and even owning a record label.

The company has many famous artists, including actresses Yuki Amami and Asumi, as well as super singer Ken Hirai, who has a hit song by Hiroki Kimura.

However, Ken-On is expanding faster now because they have another super idol, Hiro Kimura. But some things take time to accumulate, so Ken-On can only be said to be expanding rapidly and has a great momentum, but it will take a lot of time to establish its position in the entertainment industry.

At this point, it's not good news for Ken-On that superstar Hiroki Kimura, who has only been signed for a year, wants to make his company independent. It's normal that it alarmed Nozaki Toshio, since Hanami Kagami would definitely have to report such a big matter.

After entering the conference room, Hanami Kaku stood up and gestured for Tomioka Yukio and Ms. Michiko, who were behind Kimura Hiroshi, to leave. Nozaki Toshio wanted to speak with Kimura Hiroshi alone.

With only the two of them left in the huge conference room, the atmosphere became even more oppressive. Kimura Hiroshi, however, did not back down. After all, he used to work in bars and had seen his share of big shots. It was impossible to overwhelm him with a little bit of intimidation.

He took the initiative to step forward and greet him, "Hello, Mr. Nozaki, it's been a long time."

He then found a seat very close to Nozaki Toshio and sat down. He saw the supplementary contract placed in front of Nozaki Toshio, but did not rush to ask about it.

Seeing Kimura Hiroshi's composure, Nozaki Toshio finally understood what Hanami Kagami meant when she said that this young man didn't seem like a teenager at all, but rather like a middle-aged man who had been working in society for many years.

This kid is definitely not like the average Japanese youth. People are usually nervous or reserved when they meet someone in a superior position, but he is calm and composed, even looking the other person in the eye. This makes me feel that this kid doesn't even seem like a Japanese person. He doesn't have that instinctive sense of awe for those in a superior position. No wonder he appears so unconventional in the media.

Knowing that putting on a show of force was useless, Nozaki Toshio stopped keeping a straight face, slightly adjusted his posture, and said in a solemn voice, "It's been more than a year since Kimura-san signed with Ken-On, how have you felt about this past year?"

“Very good, Mr. Nozaki. Ken-on has given me a lot of help over the past year or so, which is something that other agencies don’t offer. I have gained unimaginable freedom here, and I am also happy to have met a group of people with whom I can work.”

Kimura Hiroshi didn't just say this casually. He did indeed gain a lot from Ken-On. First of all, Ken-On's generosity allowed him to acquire wealth that other idols could hardly imagine, enabling him to buy three properties in the past year and lay a very solid foundation for future financial freedom.

"Oh, is that so? But I heard that you often argue with President Hanami, and your relationship is very strained. Moreover, you now want to make your company independent. I don't see Kimura-san being happy." Nozaki Toshio stared at Kimura Hiroshi and said, waiting for Kimura Hiroshi's reply, and then trying to figure out what he was thinking from his expression.

Still speaking calmly, Kimura Hiroshi said, "Mr. Nozaki, arguments at work are inevitable. I think you've experienced them too. This is just a work matter. In private, I have no complaints about President Hanami. On the contrary, I think he's easygoing. It's my luck to have met such a president, and I'm very grateful for that luck."

As for making my companies independent, Mr. Nozaki, I have many strange ideas I want to realize, but they are always tied to the firm, which would be troublesome, so I want to make them independent.”

Kimura Hiroshi's face remained unchanged, revealing nothing. However, Nozaki Toshio did not believe Kimura Hiroshi's words at all. He said in a deep voice, "I think Kimura-san wants to go out on his own, and perhaps he wants to take Akina-san with him?"

Obviously, his relationship with Akina Nakamori was no secret to the higher-ups at Ken-On. After all, the assistants and managers below couldn't hide it from them. Any issues had to be reported to the agency to avoid the agency being unaware of any problems, in which case they would be held responsible. In Japan, there has always been an unspoken rule that subordinates would take responsibility when something went wrong.

Currently, Ken-On's only two superstars are in relationships. If they join forces, they are clearly capable of challenging the agency. If they both go independent and start their own companies to negotiate collaborations with Ken-On, they can break free from Ken-On's control and gain even more benefits. It's no wonder that Nozaki Toshio thinks this way.

Upon hearing this, Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Could a representative of a conglomerate really have such a narrow vision? After a while, he finally raised his head to look directly at Nozaki Toshio and said, "Mr. Nozaki, do you really think this is my ambition?"

Nozaki Toshio was also a little confused by Kimura Hiroshi's smile. In response to his question, he instinctively replied, "Isn't that right?"

This cannot be blamed on Nozaki Hiroo, because many well-known artists in the entertainment industry do this after their contracts expire, and some do it during the contract period. Of course, the premise is that the agency is not very powerful. If the agency is very powerful, doing this will most likely result in being blacklisted and having no way out. This is something Nozaki Hiroo determined based on his past experience.

"No, of course not, Mr. Nozaki. I think you know better than anyone the status of entertainers in the entertainment industry. If I have to become an entertainer in the future to compete for such a small benefit, then my life would be a complete failure."

"I want to be a ruler like Mr. Nozaki, or at least a controller like President Hanami." Kimura Hiroshi made no attempt to hide his ambition.

Artists may seem to be the most popular and sought-after figures in the entertainment industry, but in reality, they are controlled by agencies, record companies, television stations, record producers, film and television producers, supervisors, and even managers. If Hiroshi Kimura continues to be an artist, no matter how talented he is, he will only be controlled, especially as Ken-On becomes stronger.

Nozaki Toshio was incredulous that a boy who had just turned eighteen would say such a thing. He suddenly stood up and said loudly, "Arrogant, Kimura boy, you are simply delusional. Our Sasakawa Group has worked so hard to achieve what we have today. What makes you think you can do it? I advise you to just be a good entertainer."

“It is indeed too arrogant, Mr. Nozaki. Just take it as the arrogant and ignorant dream of a young man. Just listen to it as a joke. But please, Mr. Nozaki, grant me this arrogant dream.” Kimura Hiroshi did not argue, because it would be useless. He stood up and bowed, giving Nozaki Toshio face.

Hiroshi Kimura knew that the Sasakawa Foundation had absolutely no foundation when it entered the entertainment industry, because they had never been involved in this business before. Ken-On was created by expanding the music affairs department of a rowing news publishing company under the Sasakawa Foundation.

Initially, they achieved nothing. Then, Nozaki Shuno took over and poached Hanami Kagami from a Japanese television station, which put them on the right track. Hanami Kagami then had the foresight to sign Nakamori Akina, which finally opened a crack in the entertainment industry. To help Nakamori Akina become popular, Hanami Kagami devised a special strategy and spent a lot of money.

In short, the Sasakawa Group was able to get in on two fronts: first, by throwing money at the problem, and second, by selecting extremely talented individuals.

Now, Hiroshi Kimura wants to do the same thing, and he actually has more advantages than the Sasakawa Group. First, he can also spend money; he can't afford to now, but he can in a few years. Second, he can accumulate a network of connections by spending a few years in the entertainment industry, which also gives him an advantage over Sasakawa.

Finally, and most importantly, Kimura Hiroshi knew about future developments. A few years later, independent production companies began to flourish in Japan. Originally, many TV dramas and movies were produced by independent production companies, instead of being produced by TV stations as they are now.

The same applies to movies. Take the famous love story film Love Letter, for example. All of Takeshi Kitano's films were produced by his own independent production company.

Now that Hiroshi Kimura has started to invest, he is a pioneer. When things get really good, he will reap the biggest rewards. This timing coincides perfectly with his personal development timeline. For now, he is still mainly focused on his work as an entertainer, accumulating capital and connections.

He only dabbled in producing these TV series and movies. When his contract expired a few years later, it would be the time when independent productions were becoming popular. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he could then make a big push. How much he could earn depended on his abilities.

He couldn't be 100% sure what it would be like then, but the opportunity was right in front of him, and it would be incredibly foolish not to seize it. He never wanted to worry about money again in this life; that feeling was just too painful. Many things he didn't want to do but had to do were because of money.

Looking at the young man, Kimura Hiroshi, standing bowing in front of him, Nozaki Toshio knew that this kid was serious. His ambition was huge, even greater than his own. He thought that he was the same when he was young, always having endless dreams in his heart, but after starting work, reality quickly wore him down, and in the end he only dared to take one step at a time to test the waters.

Am I really getting old? Nozaki Toshio sighed and said, "Alright, since Kimura-san has such courage, I have no reason not to agree. However, you need to promise me two things."

"Please tell me what it is, Mr. Nozaki. If it's not too unreasonable, then I can agree." Kimura Hiroshi was happy to receive a response to his biggest request, but since Nozaki Toshio was making such a big concession, the two things he asked for must not be simple, so Kimura Hiroshi was very cautious.

Pushing the contract in front of Hiroshi Kimura, Toshio Nozaki said, "The first thing is that a supplementary contract must be signed, and if Mr. Kimura violates the artist contract and leaves Ken-On during the contract period, the penalty for breach of contract will reach 3 billion yen."

Goodness, the penalty for breach of contract has increased sixfold to 3 billion yen. That's no small sum. With Kimura Hiroshi's current income, it's practically impossible for him to pay such a penalty. But more importantly, it disrupts the possibility of Kimura Hiroshi transferring to another agency. After all, even top agencies wouldn't pay that much for an artist.

"Okay, I agree." Gritting his teeth, Kimura Hiroshi agreed. After all, he had no intention of leaving Ken-On, and even if he breached the contract, he would be able to repay it in two or three years. More importantly, if he wanted to gain something, he had to take on some responsibility and make some sacrifices.

Nozaki Toshio was surprised that Kimura Hiroshi agreed so quickly. This kid was ambitious and had a lot of guts. Thirty billion yen was no small amount, and he actually agreed to it so easily.

“Very good, Mr. Kimura is indeed decisive. So, the second thing is that after Mr. Kimura’s company becomes independent, the Sasakawa Group will also invest and become the largest shareholder after Mr. Kimura.” Nozaki Toshio dropped another bombshell.

Now it was Kimura Hiroshi's turn to be dumbfounded. Didn't he just say that I was too arrogant? How come he suddenly wants to invest? Isn't this a bit too fast?

"Kimura-san's company cannot engage in record sales or artist management-related businesses. Also, please complete the company's planning and hand it over to me as soon as possible. Don't worry, the Sasakawa Group may not have much else, but it certainly has money. It will definitely not deliberately suppress the investment amount," Nozaki Toshio continued.

Knowing there was no way to avoid it, Kimura Hiroshi thought for a moment and said, "Okay, the company will absolutely not engage in record and artist management business. However, the Sasakawa Group can invest, but I demand that the decision-making power of the company be in my hands. If there is a disagreement on business issues, the decision-making power is in my hands, and I will have the largest share of the shares."

It would be best to be a sole proprietor, but bringing in the Sasakawa Group is also acceptable. With the backing of a conglomerate, many unnecessary troubles can be avoided, and some resources of Ken-On can be utilized. In addition, the investment from the conglomerate can reduce his initial investment, allowing him to have more money to do other things. However, he must hold the largest share and decision-making power in the company.

After a moment of silence, Nozaki Toshio finally spoke, "Alright, I can grant you this request. I hope Kimura-san won't disappoint me. If the company's development is not satisfactory, then we have the right to withdraw our investment. Let's sign the supplementary contract now."

Chapter 163 They're all treacherous people.

After signing the artist's supplementary contract with a breach of contract amount of up to 3 billion yen, Nozaki Toshio kept his word and produced two identical agreements in front of Kimura Hiroshi. These agreements officially separated Kimura Hiroshi's shell company from Ken-On's control, and for the time being, the ownership of the company was transferred to Kimura Hiroshi personally.

When this company, which is currently just a shell company, is officially established, the Sasakawa Foundation will invest, and they will become the second largest shareholder. As for how the shares and power will be distributed, that will need to be discussed later. This is not something that the two of them can discuss; it requires professionals to discuss it step by step.

With everything settled, Kimura Hiroshi breathed a sigh of relief and left the conference room with the agreement and a supplementary contract. When he opened the conference room door, he saw Hanami Kagami, Tomioka Yukio, and the others waiting at the door, all of them looking anxious.

Waving the contract in his hand, Kimura Hiroshi said with a relaxed expression, "Mr. Nozaki is a very easy person to talk to. The contract has been signed, and I will now have a real company under my name. President Hanami, come and pay your respects to your future partner."

Seeing Kimura Hiroshi's smug look, Hanami Kagami wanted nothing more than to punch him. But the kid was right; they might be business partners in a few years, but not now.

"Partners are a matter for the future. Right now, I'm still your president. Get to work on preparing for the concert immediately," Hanami Hyuk commanded, adopting the air of a president.

"Yes, President, I'll go right now." Kimura Hiroshi was very accommodating, obeying orders and jogging away as if he were really going to prepare for the concert.

Watching Kimura Hiroshi leave, Hanami Kaku entered the conference room and saw Nozaki Toshio, whose expression had returned to seriousness, sitting in a chair as if he were thinking about something.

He walked up to Nozaki Toshio and asked, "Nozaki, I didn't expect you to actually sign a contract with him to make him independent. You didn't say that the day before yesterday. Didn't you say you wanted to show him how powerful you are?"

Although Nozaki Shuno is the real person in charge at Ken-On, and he is the subordinate, their relationship is actually more like that of friends in private. Otherwise, he would not have left the Japanese TV station in the first place to come to this seemingly crumbling agency. Although the high salary was one reason, personal relationships also played a part.

Coming to his senses, Nozaki said with a smile, "You agreed to this without my consent. If I go back on my word, your prestige and reputation as the president will probably be ruined, won't it?"

Knowing that Nozaki Toshio was teasing him, Hanami Kagami wasn't angry. He said with a hint of disappointment, "My personality isn't strong enough. I don't want to fall out when there's room for negotiation, because then there's no way out. But you, Nozaki, have always been known for your toughness. How come you were managed by a young kid today?"

"That's because I saw the ambition of a young man. I haven't seen a young man like this in so many years. In him, I saw the shadow of my own arrogance when I was young." After sighing, Nozaki Shuno told Hanami Kagami what Kimura Hiroshi had just told him.

Hearing Kimura Hiroshi's ambition, Hanami Kaku was also shocked. Kimura Hiroshi had previously told him that some of his businesses were difficult to handle, such as novels and comics, so the company needed to become independent. He did not expect that his true idea was to become a controller of the entertainment industry, not just to publish some comics and make a couple of movies.

"How dare he! A guy who's only been in the industry for a year and is only a teenager has such ambitious ideas. He's really arrogant and audacious. But Yeqi, just because he has such ambitions, are you going to support him? That's a bit too kind of you. This isn't like you. Besides, he's very likely to fail. The chances of him succeeding are extremely slim."

Although surprised by Kimura Hiroshi's ambition, Hanami Kagami didn't see him as a threat. The entertainment industry is a closed circle. While there might be opportunities to climb the ladder as an entertainer, it's incredibly difficult to break in as a controller. Ken-On spent a lot of money and found Nakamori Akina as the key to achieve this.

Standing up, after tidying up the contract, Nozaki Toshio said with a smile, "This kid is ambitious and talented. He might have unexpected results. Isn't that movie that Toho took a liking to the best example?"

Yan-Yin has now made a breakthrough in artist management and record sales, but we have no chance in other areas. We have no way to get involved in TV drama production or film production. They don't give us even the slightest chance. So let's let a young man try to make a name for himself.

If he succeeds, then our actors at Yanyin will have no shortage of acting opportunities, which will greatly boost our artists' economic situation.

If he fails, I will include a clause in the contract stipulating that if his company suffers huge losses or is unable to penetrate the market, we can withdraw our investment. In that case, we will only lose the time we have access to the funds. Sasakawa has no shortage of money; his real concern is how to turn that money into even more money.”

It turned out that his old friend and boss had this idea. Hua Jianhe had finally seen it for himself. He realized that his vision was indeed too narrow. What these rich guys were afraid of was having nowhere to put their money and not being able to turn it into more money. If they had this opportunity, they would be willing to take some risks. After all, this kind of investment could preserve the principal, so why not do it?

They're all cunning people. The younger ones are cunning, and the older ones are even more so. They all want to take advantage of each other. Hanami Kagami could only sigh and say, "Then let's hope that Kimura kid can succeed. That would be good for everyone."

"Yes, it would be best if he could succeed, so that he could realize his ambitions and I could complete the task of expanding the entertainment industry market for the conglomerate. It would be the best thing for both of us. However, he is still an artist under Ken-On. Keep an eye on him and make sure he does his job as an artist well. Let him get all the benefits he is entitled to first."

Putting away the contract, Nozaki Shuno instructed that as a qualified capitalist, one must take advantage of any benefits; otherwise, it would be a loss for him.

"Okay, I understand. Although this kid sometimes disregards the firm's interests, he still does what needs to be done." Hanami Kaku now has a completely new understanding of Kimura Hiroshi. This kid is not only talented, but also has extraordinary ambition.