My daily life with the original diva

However, he looked quite disappointed and said in a low voice, "Oh, okay then. Take care of your health while working outside, and don't push yourself too hard."

Seeing Kimura Hiro's disappointed look, Nakamori Akina felt a little sorry for him. However, she was indeed busy with work, as she was about to release a new single and couldn't stay together all the time. She quickly comforted him, "I'll be back in a few days, and I'll definitely spend more time with Kimura-san then."

"Yes, I know. Let's eat. Oh, and take the cake with you when you leave so you can share it with your staff. It's a way to share the joy of your birthday." Kimura Hiro urged Nakamori Akina to eat quickly.

Twenty minutes later, the two finally finished eating, and the task of washing the dishes naturally fell to Kimura Hiroshi, while Nakamori Akina was outside putting on makeup. By the time he finished cleaning up and came out, Nakamori Akina was also ready.

Holding her bag, Akina Nakamori was already waiting at the door to leave. Seeing Hiro Kimura come out, she stood there, touched her lips, and said, "What should I do when my lover goes out to work?"

That's really cheesy. Kimura Hiroshi understood perfectly, so he quickly stepped forward, gave her a light peck on the lips, and said, "You must be tired from work. Be careful when you go out."

"Okay, I know. Kimura-san, you should also take care of the housework at home. Oh, and the clothes haven't been washed yet. There are some for me. Remember to wash them all clean. I'll check if you washed them properly when I come back in a couple of days." After saying that, she picked up her bag and the cake that was in the refrigerator, and left with a smile.

Kimura Hiroshi was left standing at the door, thinking back to Nakamori Akina's words. Why did he feel like a stay-at-home dad?

Chapter 179 Planning for the Future

After spending another day resting and recuperating at home and getting a good night's sleep, his back finally stopped aching. The next morning, before he was even fully awake, Yukio Tomioka called and shouted into the phone, "Kimura-san, if you don't come back soon, I can't take it anymore!"

Kimura Hiroshi, who had originally wanted to relax for another day, had no choice but to drive back to the agency and arrive at the office that the agency had recently assigned to them, including Tomioka Yukio, several assistants, and himself.

As Ken-On expanded, Hiroshi Kimura's staff became more and more complete. At least, he was no longer just an assistant like Michiko. However, the people who stayed by his side for a long time were still the same few familiar faces. The rest of them were mostly people who stayed at the agency to help him with some things.

Unlike agents, assistants have a lower status than artists, not to mention that the artist they serve is not an ordinary person and dares to challenge the president. So when Kimura Hiroshi entered the office, they all stood up to greet him, and a young girl who had just graduated and joined the agency immediately made him a cup of tea.

He didn't put on any airs of a senior or leader. Kimura Hiroshi didn't really like the hierarchical structure of Japanese offices. He responded to their greetings with a smile and thanked the young woman who made him tea, making her blush. After all, he was a popular idol singer, and the young woman admired him to some extent.

"Kimura-san, you're finally back. There's a lot of work for you to handle now. Take a look at these reports first, and think about what to say when you're interviewed by the media. You need to meet with these media outlets; they want to ask you about your concert." Yukio Tomioka first handed Hiroshi Kimura a huge stack of newspapers and magazines.

I casually opened it and found that it was all about his concert two days ago. Of course, given his relationship with these media outlets, there were no nice things to say. Although they didn't dare to curse him or anything, there was no shortage of sarcastic remarks.

Although there were 35,000 audience members at the concert, most of them were young girls who had no idea what music was. They were all deceived by Kimura Hiroshi's appearance and were told that his concert was a concert for young girls.

Some even said he was performing performance art at his concert, singing in a strange and unprecedented way, which was an insult to music and he should be criticized.

This is bad news about him, but the opinions of several major media outlets that are on good terms with him are quite different. They say that the concert was unprecedented. The fact that an idol singer could hold such a large-scale concert shows the terrifying appeal of Hiroshi Kimura. He can be called a representative of male idols. There are many young girls at the concert, and they call Hiroshi Kimura a heartthrob.

As for the rap song he gave to his fans, they said that Hiroshi Kimura, an idol singer, dared to create a new singing style, which is absolutely a bold genius.

In short, the two sides have completely opposite views. They can come up with two different versions of the same thing, with one side trying their best to belittle it and the other side praising it to the skies. It is quite a spectacle that two completely opposite views appear in the media.

However, Hiroshi Kimura was still quite satisfied with the major media outlets. At least they were on his side and were doing their best to protect him, so they were his own people. Since they were his own people, he naturally had to give them face.

"Mr. Tomioka, then I'll accept the interviews from these media outlets this afternoon, and also give them a few photos taken at the concert as a gift." Kimura Hiroshi naturally had to give some benefits to his own people.

"That would be perfect. Tanaka, please make a few calls to a few media outlets and be polite." Tomioka Yukio no longer needs to do this kind of thing himself; he can have his assistant do it.

The young man who had just arrived at the firm was overjoyed to hear that he had a task to complete, and said with great enthusiasm, "Yes, Mr. Tomioka, don't worry, I will definitely do a good job."

Looking at this energetic young man, Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but laugh. He figured it wouldn't be long before the heavy workload would wear him down, and once the novelty wore off, all he would find in the face of so much work was unbearable boredom and exhaustion.

"By the way, the concert isn't over yet. Several TV stations want to acquire the broadcasting rights. Although the copyright belongs to the agency, the president has decided to follow your advice. Fuji TV, TVNeon, and TV Tokyo are the ones interested in buying the broadcasting rights. Kimura-san, who do you think should be given the rights?" Yukio Tomioka asked.

In fact, there are only six national TV stations in Japan. The rest are local and regional TV stations that can only be watched in their respective areas. For example, Nagaya Broadcasting can only be watched in Nagaya and the surrounding area.

The three companies that wanted to buy the broadcasting rights to Hiroshi Kimura's concert were all national television stations. Upon hearing the names of these three television stations, Hiroshi Kimura fell into deep thought.

Although he has good relationships with some TV stations now, he hasn't really built connections with them; he only has good relationships with some program staff.

As for the staff of the important departments of the TV station, they had very little contact with them. After all, the TV station was a behemoth to artists like them, even popular ones. It was very difficult to establish connections with the upper echelons of the TV station, especially in a place like Japan with its strict hierarchy.

Now, by leveraging the broadcasting rights of the concert, he could try to establish a relationship with the operations department of a certain TV station. In a few years, when the TV station lacks funds and cannot afford to produce a TV series on its own, he could be the first to take the plunge and push the TV series produced by his company to them.

These things require advance planning; it's not easy to do them if you try to cram at the last minute. In Japan, relationships are very important, and there's a big difference between someone you brought in temporarily and someone you have a long-term, stable relationship with.

So he thought for a moment before saying, "Mr. Tomioka, I hope to have a face-to-face meeting with the TV station's operations leaders. I can offer them the broadcasting rights for the concert at a very favorable price, and I can also offer them the broadcasting rights for the next few years. I hope to sign a long-term contract."

Stunned, Yukio Tomioka couldn't understand why Hiroshi Kimura would do this. Shouldn't the TV station offer the highest price? Why would he lower the price and supply at that price for several years? Wouldn't that be a loss?

"Kimura-san, I don't understand, why is that?" Tomioka Yukio asked.

“I have my own plans, but it’s not convenient to tell you right now. By the way, could you please talk to the president about this for me? I’m willing to give up some of the concert’s revenue to get him to agree to my idea.”

This was something that couldn't be discussed in detail with Yukio Tomioka, because if he said that the TV station would run out of money in a few years and that he wanted to take over the TV station's drama business, Yukio Tomioka would probably think he was crazy.

It's important to know that nowadays, almost all TV dramas are produced by the TV stations themselves, and some spare no expense. The same goes for TV programs; just look at those elaborately set music shows, they really are willing to spend a lot of money.

However, when the bubble burst, TV stations would run into financial problems, and when the bubble burst, things would be even worse. Many music shows were canceled at the peak of the bubble. For example, Yoru HIT, which Kimura Hiro frequently participated in and had extremely high viewership ratings, was canceled in 89 at the peak of the bubble because its production was too expensive.

The decline of idols is also largely due to the removal of these lavish stage performances, as idol singers have lost a crucial platform for exposure.

Since Kimura Hiroshi has decided to do this, Tomioka Yukio naturally won't object. This matter won't cause him any loss; he'll just do as Kimura Hiroshi asks. However, he needs to personally discuss this with Hanami Kagami.

"Is there anything else to take care of?" Kimura Hiroshi then asked.

After taking the work report, Yukio Tomioka glanced at it and said, "Also, regarding the movie's promotion, Toho wants you to shoot another promotional video. In addition, VAP is very satisfied with this collaboration and hopes you can continue to provide songs for Momoko Kikuchi. Also, the collaboration invitation from Sun Music needs to be processed. Oh, and the foreign singers you asked Warner to help you find are also available; they're just waiting for your songs."

Slapping his forehead, Hiroshi Kimura felt a pang of pain. There was so much work to do, but for the money, for a prosperous and happy life in the future, he had to do it all!

Chapter 180: The Need to Build a Network of Relationships

With so much work piling up these past few days, there's no way to avoid it. Kimura Hiroshi can only get himself into a relatively busy state and start dealing with the accumulated tasks one by one.

The first thing he did was give interviews to the media. That afternoon, in the reception room of Ken-On, Hiroshi Kimura gave interviews to several major media outlets. He was very friendly to his own people, and the exchange between the two sides was very pleasant. Hiroshi Kimura also took the initiative to reveal some interesting stories during the concert preparation, which made the media very happy, as they would have exclusive reports to write when they got back.

In addition, Hiroshi Kimura provided each of them with many concert photos that no one else had, which excited the major media outlets even more. After all, one of the purposes of their usual praise for Hiroshi Kimura in newspapers and magazines was to get things from him that other media outlets couldn't get, publish exclusives, and boost sales.

Now that Hiroshi Kimura has offered it, that would be absolutely wonderful.

Sure enough, the next day, on his way to VAP, Kimura Hiroshi saw several major media outlets praising him, along with exclusive photos and reports he had provided.

Several media outlets have showered him with praise, saying he is hardworking, meticulous, and considerate of his fans' feelings during concerts, making him a rare and outstanding male idol singer.

"I feel a bit nauseous just looking at it. I wouldn't have known I had so many good qualities if I hadn't read it in the newspaper," Kimura Hiroshi said with a grumble after reading the reports.

Hearing this, Yukio Tomioka smiled slightly and said, "Kimura-san needs these praises. These major media outlets account for more than 30% of the newspaper and magazine sales in the market. Without their praise, the market would be full of media saying bad things about Kimura-san. I'm afraid that no matter how popular Kimura-san is, he wouldn't be able to withstand such a public opinion environment."

Now there are both good and bad comments. Given Kimura's well-known relationship with the media, the presence of negative media coverage isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's become a topic of discussion, crucial for maintaining Kimura's popularity. His decision to reconcile with several major media outlets was the right one.

"Yes, it seems that the strategy of dividing and conquering will never be outdated," Kimura Hiroshi said with a slight sigh. He felt very frustrated when he initially chose to back down to these media outlets, but the effects of that concession began to slowly emerge. At least he had established his own connections in the media industry, which prevented him from being besieged by the entire media world.

This relationship is currently maintained by his own popularity, but in the future it will depend on the companies under his control. As long as the cooperation benefits both parties, this cooperation will never stop.

This is true in the media industry, and it is also true in the entertainment industry. He is now willing to write songs for singers from other agencies, not only because of the generous compensation offered by those agencies, but also because he wants to build a business relationship with these agencies. In this way, he also makes friends with these agencies.

If he wants to establish his company in the entertainment industry, he will need friends from all walks of life. After all, he doesn't have the ability to dominate everyone. If he wants to make a lot of money steadily, he can't do without relationships in all aspects. In addition to the media and his agency, he also needs connections in the film and television industries, which are two very important points.

For example, in the film industry, he now has Toho as a connection, which is an unexpected bonus, since they came to him on their own and it is relatively stable.

Another network to build is with the television station. If these can be accomplished, a vast network will be established around him, which will benefit him now, in the future, and even his descendants.

However, this vast network of relationships is very complex and requires a gradual approach; it cannot be achieved overnight. For example, his current focus is on the media and his firm. He can dabble in film, but television needs to be approached slowly, since there are no clear clues at the moment, not to mention that the benefits may not materialize for several years. Therefore, it is the least urgent part.

Not long after, they arrived at VAP. Compared to the last time, the producer Watanabe Kawaku was even more enthusiastic and respectful in welcoming them. There was no way around it; relying on Kimura Hiro's two singles, their heavily invested female idol Kikuchi Momoko could be said to have become an instant hit. Her debut song has now sold more than 280,000 copies, and there is a chance that it will exceed 300,000 copies this year.

Judging solely from the results of this debut song, it is definitely the first among female idol singers who debuted this year, and it is also a good result among all female idol debut songs in history. This is something that VAP never dared to dream of before. The fact that their female idol could become an instant hit is largely due to the single written by Hiroshi Kimura.

In the conference room, Watanabe Kawasaku said with a hint of flattery, "Kimura-san, we have already transferred the royalties for this album to the account you provided. Twenty million has already been transferred, and we will continue to transfer the remaining money after the sales figures are released."

With the money in place, everything was negotiable. Kimura Hiroshi was quite polite to his client, saying, "Thank you very much, Mr. Watanabe, for transferring the money in advance. So, what are your plans for Momoko-chan's single? Hmm, where's Momoko-chan for song selection today?"

Today was the day to select the next single to be released for Momoko Kikuchi, but Hiroshi Kimura noticed that Momoko Kikuchi was not present at the meeting, and the other participants were all VAP staff.

"Ah, Momo-chan has been very busy lately and didn't have time to attend this meeting. Kimura-san, please don't worry about it. We've decided to continue with our original style, so Kimura-san only needs to provide singles that are similar in style to our previous ones." Watanabe Kawasaku replied nonchalantly about the matter.

Without asking further questions, Kimura Hiro knew that when it came to choosing songs, Kikuchi Momoko, although the singer, had no say in the matter. Just like last time, it was entirely up to Watanabe Kawasaku to decide, and the same would be true this time. This was the typical status of singers in large agencies.

It would be abnormal for someone like him or Akina Nakamori to be able to determine their own song style and choose the songs they like. Kimura Hiroshi was somewhat relieved at this moment. The memories from the future allowed him to make the right choice. Many times, the right choice is more important than ability. If he had come to VAP, he probably wouldn't have had many opportunities to use his abilities.

“Is that so? Well then, Mr. Tomioka, please take out the single I prepared earlier.” Kimura Hiroshi turned to Tomioka Yukio and said.

Yukio Tomioka took out several sheet music sheets from his bag and handed them to Kazusaku Watanabe. Hiroshi Kimura had chosen a gentle, inspirational song for youth, which was also the song "Say Yes," which was originally the song that Momoko Kikuchi first sang at number one on the Oricon chart in 86.

"This song was created with Peach Jam's voice in mind. It's youthful and caters to Peach Jam's fan base. I think as long as the quality is good, the sales shouldn't be a big problem," Kimura Hiroshi explained to Watanabe Kawasaku while he looked at the sheet music.

A few minutes later, Watanabe Kawasaku finished reading the sheet music and was very satisfied. His face was beaming as he said, "This is a wonderful song. I never thought that Kimura-san could write such a youthful and inspiring song in addition to his mature and inspirational songs. It's fantastic. This is the one."

The next single was finalized in just a few minutes. This was not only because the song was of good quality, but also because Hiroshi Kimura had a large following. Watanabe Kawasaku was well aware of this. Even if the song was of average quality, he would not refuse it, let alone if it was of very high quality.

It took about half an hour in total to sign the song contract. Watanabe Kawaku wanted Kimura Hiroshi to go out and have some fun that night, but Tomioka Yukio refused because they had to go to Sun Music to discuss the collaboration and didn't have time to stay and have fun.

As they got back on the bus, Hiroshi Kimura suddenly chuckled and said to Yukio Tomioka, "Speaking of which, Momoko-chan and Yukiko-chan are rivals, right? I finished writing a song for Momoko-chan, and then I went to discuss writing a song for Yukiko-chan. It feels like I'm supplying both sides with ammunition, making their battle even more intense, doesn't it?"

"Wouldn't that be even better? The fiercer the competition, the biggest beneficiary will be Kimura-san, who provides the weapons. Moreover, if the two new idols become increasingly popular by relying on Kimura-san's songs, then in the future, more agencies will probably want to get new songs from Kimura-san. When you need something from someone, you have to be more polite," Yukio Tomioka said thoughtfully.

After all, Hiroshi Kimura is too much of a target now, and many agencies are trying to bring him down. But if they still try to influence him when everyone is in a community of shared interests, that would be a big mistake. So he writes songs for both sides to make their competition as fierce and popular as possible, so that everyone will want a piece of the pie, and then Hiroshi Kimura will be in an invincible position.

"Mr. Tomioka, as expected of someone who has been in the entertainment industry for many years, understands things very well. Just hurry up and go to Sun Music, provide Yukiko-chan with some ammunition, and let them fight as fiercely as possible," Kimura Hiroshi said enthusiastically.

Chapter 181 Some Eerie Places

Compared to Ken-On and VAP, which only started trying to cultivate idols in recent years, Sun Music is very experienced in this regard. In the 1970s, they successfully made female idol singer Junko Sakurada famous. She debuted in the same year as Momoe Yamaguchi and became a top female idol under the terrifying shadow of Momoe Yamaguchi's dominance.

However, her good fortune didn't last long. Junko Sakurada was tricked into joining a cult, and her popularity plummeted. But this didn't affect Sun Music because they successfully discovered Seiko Matsuda, one of the most iconic figures in the history of female idols, and continued to dominate the idol market.

Thanks to its accumulation over the years, Sun Music has grown stronger and is now a large office building with an entire building located in Yotsumi 4-chome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. It is a seven-story building.

When Kimura Hiroshi reached the bottom of the building, he looked up at the building and muttered to himself, "It's really tall. How could an eighteen-year-old girl have the guts to jump off the roof?"

In the summer heat, he suddenly felt a chill and couldn't help but become a little superstitious. This building was actually built in 4-chome, no wonder it was so unlucky. Although Sun Music had a strong aura, it seemed unable to suppress this somewhat evil place. Almost none of the agency's top artists had any good luck.

The first generation of female idols, Junko Sakurada, joined a cult; the second generation, Seiko Matsuda, had an unhappy marriage, was constantly embroiled in sex scandals, and eventually lost her only daughter; the third generation, Yukiko Okada, was the girl who jumped off the roof; and the fourth generation, Noriko Sakai, was tricked into marrying a drug addict who lived off her, and ended up in jail.

It's not just the artists; the agency itself is the same. It has successively had top-tier artists, but its business has not become stronger. Instead, it has become worse and worse. By the 21st century, it had declined to the point where it was not even as good as a medium-sized agency. If it weren't for the relationships it had built up over the years, it would probably have been eliminated from the entertainment industry long ago.

This place is definitely not simple. Otherwise, there's no reason why Sun Music, which should be on the rise, would have problems with such a prominent figure. The artists they chose are clearly so good, yet they are getting weaker and weaker.

This is its most glorious and powerful time, thanks to having one of the top female idols, Seiko Matsuda. However, she is being surpassed by Akina Nakamori, and Sun Music is probably getting anxious and wants to support more female idols.

With a touch of awe, Hiroshi Kimura, Yukio Tomioka, and other staff members entered the building. Downstairs, they were greeted by Tokio Fukuda, the managing director of Sun Music, who was quite polite.

"Please follow me upstairs. President Aizawa and Ms. Okada Yukiko are waiting for you." After a brief chat, Fukuda Tokio led everyone upstairs.

Since entering the building, despite it being summer, Kimura Hiroshi felt a chill. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination or if the air conditioning was set too low, because he could feel a cold breeze blowing past him from time to time, which seemed to be coming from the air conditioning.

Take the elevator to the fifth floor. Sun Music's main offices are all on the fifth floor. Other floors have places like new talent training rooms, recording studios, dance studios, etc.

"Welcome, welcome, Kimura-san. I've wanted to meet you for a long time, but I haven't had the chance until now." Upon arriving at the conference room, Sun Music's president, Hideyoshi Aizawa, personally greeted him, exchanging extremely polite words.

With a smile on his face, Kimura Hiroshi also said very politely, "I have long admired Mr. Aizawa's reputation, and I am finally fortunate to meet you today."

But he couldn't help feeling uneasy. This guy had always wanted to poach him, and he had even sent out the firm's top executive, Seiko Matsuda. It was better to avoid this guy.