My daily life with the original diva

"It's all Hiro's fault! Why do you keep making me angry? If you didn't make me angry, would I have gotten burned?" Nakamori Akina gently punched Kimura Hiro.

His girlfriend was injured, so whatever he said was right. Kimura Hiroshi wouldn't argue with her at this time. He said softly, "Okay, okay, okay, it's all my fault. I'll be more careful in the future."

Kimura Ryo, who was carrying a cup of cold water out of the kitchen, saw Kimura Hiro cradling Nakamori Akina's face and gently comforting her. She immediately felt a little embarrassed. These two had only burned their lips a little, yet they still had to show off their affection here. They really had no shame.

With a light cough, her older sister, Kimura Ryo, said, "The water's gone cold, quickly take a sip."

Seeing his sister come out, Kimura Hiro quickly let go of Nakamori Akina's face. Both of them blushed and were very embarrassed. Nakamori Akina took the cool water and quickly put a mouthful in her mouth to absorb the remaining heat.

After a while, once he was sure there were no blisters in his mouth and the pain had subsided, Kimura Hiroshi breathed a sigh of relief. If blisters had formed, they would definitely have ulcers, and Nakamori Akina would probably have been in pain for the next few days.

After confirming that everything was alright, the hot pot continued. Kimura Hiro kept a close eye on Nakamori Akina to prevent her from eating too fast and getting hurt again. He even picked out the hot food and blew on it to cool it down before giving it to her. This greatly hurt the only single woman present, Kimura Ryo. She lost all interest in watching the drama and simply couldn't stand the two of them showing off their affection in front of her.

After the hot pot meal was finished, she didn't even ask Kimura Hiroshi to wash the dishes. She immediately started to shoo them away, saying, "I know you two haven't seen each other for many days and have a lot to talk about. Hurry up and go. You won't be able to relax here. I don't want to be the bad guy."

And just like that, Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori were kicked out of the apartment.

Chapter 221 The President's Wife Can Do Anything

With a bang, the apartment door was slammed shut. The two people at the door were stunned for a moment, then looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Unable to resist gently patting Kimura Hiroshi, Nakamori Akina laughed so hard she clutched her stomach, saying breathlessly, "It's all your fault, Hiroshi! Why do you keep putting food on my plate and blowing on it like that? Even my sister can't stand it, and it's the result that we were both kicked out."

"Wow, she's really getting better and better at shifting blame," Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but pinch Nakamori Akina's cheek and said, "Ha, I never thought it would be wrong to care about my girlfriend, huh? Akina really doesn't appreciate kindness."

Swatting away Kimura Hiroshi's hand, Nakamori Akina said irritably, "Yes, it's your fault. Now you're locked out. But where are we going next? Back to Hiroshi's apartment?"

Kimura Hiroshi was getting tired of staying in the apartment all day. He looked down at the street below and saw that there weren't many pedestrians. He said, "Let's not go back to the apartment. Let's go for a walk. We just finished dinner not long ago. A walk will keep us healthy. Let's go now."

After saying that, he put his arm around Nakamori Akina's shoulder and continued, "If anyone walks by later, just bury your head on my shoulder so they can't see you. That way, not many people will see you, and we can stroll around in peace."

"Yeah, I know, hehe." Nakamori Akina was also happy to hear that they could go out for a stroll like this. She hoped that she and Kimura Hiroshi could do whatever they wanted like a normal couple. Now that they could go for a stroll, she was very happy.

Taking the elevator downstairs, it was clear that this was a high-end apartment building. There were many security guards and police officers nearby, which meant safety in this era without surveillance cameras. There weren't many pedestrians around either; they were either still working overtime or out enjoying their nightlife. In fact, there would be more pedestrians in the middle of the night.

The two of them didn't go into any deserted alleys, but strolled around the streets around the apartment. The weather in October was gradually turning cool, and the temperature was neither too hot nor too cold, which was just right for this kind of walk.

After walking for a while, Nakamori Akina no longer wanted to be held by Kimura Hiroshi. She broke free from his embrace, grabbed Kimura Hiroshi's hand, and ran and jumped around. When she was bored, she would even kick the discarded aluminum cans on the roadside, which was very rude.

"You seem so energetic. Are you not busy at work today?" Kimura Hiroshi asked curiously, seeing his girlfriend's lively demeanor.

Shaking her head, Akina Nakamori said somewhat angrily, "I'm very busy, Hiro-kun. I went to a show today and did a magazine shoot. Yesterday, there was a show that was really outrageous. They sent a few chubby male backup dancers dressed in women's clothing on stage while I was singing, making it impossible for me to sing properly."

This kind of prank is actually quite mild. Kimura Hiroshi knows that there are many more pranks out there, especially among those lesser-known idols. Some of these pranks could be described as borderline acts.

Given Nakamori Akina's current fame and status, she certainly won't encounter these excessive pranks, but minor pranks are unavoidable, since they are harmless. However, Kimura Hiroshi suddenly thought that he might not be able to see a certain famous scene in New York in the future.

"No, no, Akina getting scared to tears is a scene that countless Akina fans dream of. How can it not happen? Hmm, if the production team doesn't dare to do it, I'll do it myself. Hehe, I'll scare her to tears myself. Anyway, this iconic scene must be preserved." Kimura Hiroshi thought to himself with a slightly lewd expression.

Seeing that Kimura Hiroshi hadn't responded to her for a long time, Nakamori Akina turned around and saw the slightly lewd smile on Kimura Hiroshi's face. She immediately knew that he must be thinking about something bad, so she stopped and grabbed his shirt by the chest, saying, "You're smiling so lewdly, Hiroshi-kun, tell me, what bad things are you thinking about?"

"Ah, I was just thinking about Akina singing when there were a few fat men dressed in women's clothing next to her. The scene was really... unbearable to look at." Kimura Hiro reacted quickly and immediately made up an excuse. If he just said that he wanted to scare her to tears, he would probably be the one crying next.

"Yeah, it's disgusting, I don't want it anymore, hehe." Nakamori Akina said with a grin. Actually, she didn't dislike these little pranks, as long as they weren't too outrageous. She simply couldn't accept certain borderline pranks.

Continuing their cheerful stroll, after walking for a while, Akina Nakamori suddenly asked, "Hiro-kun, have you decided on the female lead for your new movie?"

"Ah, why are you suddenly asking this? It's not confirmed yet, it should be in the next few days. Why is Akina suddenly asking about this?" Akina Nakamori rarely inquired about his work before.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Nakamori Akina suddenly turned around, put her arm around Kimura Hiroshi's waist, and whispered, "How about I recommend someone to you, Kyoko-chan? She's been really interested in working as an actress lately, so I'd like her to give it a try."

After speaking, he looked up at Kimura Hiroshi with anticipation.

Without any hesitation, Kimura Hiroshi nodded and said, "Then I'll leave the lead role to Kyoko-chan. Tell her to contact me in the next day or two, and I'll arrange the work for her then."

"Sigh, you agreed so quickly, Hiro-kun? Don't you need to think about it? After all, Kyoko-chan doesn't have much filming experience." Nakamori Akina didn't expect Kimura Hiro to agree so quickly, without even mentioning an interview or anything.

With his arm around Akina Nakamori's slender waist, Hiroshi Kimura said with feigned helplessness, "Ah, who made Kyoko-chan so lucky to have such a good friend as Akina? You know, Akina is the future president's wife. If the president's wife recommends an actress, I, as the president, will naturally accept it unconditionally. That's how much power the president's wife has."

This was a truly devastating love confession. As Nakamori Akina listened to him, her eyes welled up with tears. Then, she suddenly leaned into Kimura Hiroshi's arms and said in a sweet voice, "How annoying! One minute you're saying things that make me angry, and the next you're saying things that move me deeply. You're such an annoying Hiroshi."

When she started acting cute, Kimura Hiroshi liked it, and he put his arm around her waist, enjoying the intimacy of her in his arms.

But after a short while, Nakamori Akina raised her head, suddenly shook her head, and said, "No, no, Hiro-kun, this won't do. That's Hiro-kun's career. How can we do this? From now on, I can't just send whoever I want. Hiro-kun has to think it's appropriate. I don't want to be a bad girlfriend who drags Hiro-kun down."

"Haha..." She really is a sensible girlfriend. Kimura Hiroshi found it a little funny and touched her fluffy hair.

"What are you laughing at? Honestly, I'm serious." Nakamori Akina pouted. She was being so considerate and caring towards him, and he was just laughing like that. It was really too much.

"No, I just think Akina is really sensible. Don't worry. As for Kyoko-chan, she's perfect. First of all, she's already a top idol, which is more than enough for the lead role. Also, I've seen her in short dramas, and her acting is very good. At least she's better than that guy who always laughs during takes." As he spoke, Kimura Hiroshi tapped Nakamori Akina's nose.

The person who bursts out laughing is her. I don't know if she has a low threshold for laughter or what, but when filming short dramas, especially comedic scenes, she often bursts out laughing and stops completely.

"That's awful! You praise someone and then criticize me. I don't want to talk to you anymore. I'm going back now." After saying that, she turned around and shook off Kimura Hiroshi, running towards the apartment as if she was really angry.

Following closely behind, Hiroshi Kimura chased after her, shouting as he ran, "I was wrong, I was wrong, Akina, don't run like that, be careful someone recognizes you, that would be bad."

The two ran into the apartment building one after the other, attracting the attention of many security personnel. Fortunately, they ran fast enough that they were not recognized.

Chapter 222 An agency is still necessary.

In the president's office of Hegemony Company, President Hiroshi Kimura could only sit at the desk on the left and look through the documents, because the current president was not him, but his older sister, Ryo Kimura.

She sat in the main seat, reviewing the company's recruitment information and management regulations. As the head of administration, her job was far from easy; she had to get the company in order before the end of the year and then hand it over to her good younger brother. Meanwhile, Kimura Hiroshi was in charge of the company's various main businesses and was currently selecting actors for the next film.

Since he announced that he would be shooting a new movie, he has received a lot of information on the young actors under his agency. Faced with this huge stack of information on actors from the 1980s, Kimura Hiroshi had a headache because he did not recognize any of the young actors. Japanese movies from the 1980s were really not worth mentioning, which meant that he had not watched many movies from the 1980s.

The same applies to TV dramas. If this era was the golden age of Japanese songs, it was accompanied by the decline of movies and TV dramas. Very few movies and TV dramas were able to go beyond Japan. Occasionally, Yamaguchi Momoe emerged and expanded her influence to East Asia, but it was just a flash in the pan. With her retirement, it immediately faded away.

This resulted in Kimura Hiroshi having a good understanding of Japanese singers from that era, but it was much harder for him to find actors. He couldn't even pick out a few familiar faces; he only recognized some older actors, but they didn't seem to fit the film well.

The confirmed cast for the film includes the female lead, Kyoko Koizumi, who was chosen for him yesterday by the president's wife, Akina Nakamori, and he will naturally make good use of her. The second male lead is Toshiro Yanagiba, a young actor that Ken-On Agency successfully acquired this year.

He was supposedly poached from the famous Himawari Theatre Company and seems very promising. Ken-on wants to give him special attention, so they recommended him to play the second male lead. Kimura Hiroshi has met him; he's a rather dashing young man, and playing a tough second male lead wouldn't be a problem. Ken-on did a very good job recommending him to a good actor.

The most important role now is the male lead. Since he doesn't know any of these actors, he can't decide who to choose or how to build relationships with them, which is giving him a real headache.

Also in the office, Kimura Ryo, having finished some tasks, got up to make a cup of coffee to perk herself up. When she looked up, she saw her younger brother looking at various actor profiles with a worried expression.

"What's wrong? Is it so difficult to choose an actor?" Kimura Ryo asked casually as he tore open the instant coffee packet in his hand, preparing to pour hot water.

Hiroshi Kimura tossed the documents in his hand onto his desk, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Yeah, it's a bit difficult to choose. I don't recognize any of these actors, and they all look pretty much the same. I don't know who to pick."

Ryo Kimura, who was stirring her coffee after getting hot water, heard Hiroshi Kimura's words, thought for a moment, and asked, "Which agency do you have a good relationship with?"

"Are we on good terms? Well, we do have a few. I've written songs for their artists, but they all went through Ken-On." Kimura Hiroshi replied.

“I see. Then we can’t choose those agencies. Now that my brother has started his own production company, we need to build new relationships. How about this, let the young actors from these agencies play the lead and supporting roles according to your opinion, provided that the actors they send can act well in the movie. This is called making more people your friends.” Kimura Ryo, the older sister, made her coffee and returned to her seat, offering her idea.

Since there were no actors worth working with directly, collaborating with an agency was naturally the best option, and it would also expand his network. Kimura Hiro knew that this was the only way, so he nodded and said, "Thank you for your suggestion, sister. It's a very good idea. I'll confirm the order and have someone notify them to come over as soon as possible. Filming will officially begin next week."

“That’s not enough, my little brother. You’d better be able to manage a group of artists yourself. Otherwise, once you’ve made them famous, their agencies might come and try to negotiate with you, and you’ll have a lot of trouble then,” said Kimura Ryo, her older sister.

This was the biggest problem she discovered when she recently set up her company. A company that produces movies and comics didn't have any artists or voice actors. This was simply unacceptable. Although the most important thing for a movie is quality, actors also play a significant role. If you can't have a group of artists that you can use at will, you will inevitably be held back by others in the future.

Hiroshi Kimura was well aware of the potential problems that might arise from not having artists, but he had already promised Ken-On that he would not get involved in artist management or record business. So he said, "Sister, I promised when Ken-On spun off the company that I would not get involved in artist management or record business."

Hearing her brother's answer, Kimura Ryo couldn't help but slap her forehead. Her brother sometimes seemed very smart, but at other times he seemed very naive. She said, "Brother, how can you be so stupid? You agreed, don't you know to invest in other firms?"

There are so many talent agencies, big and small, in the entertainment industry right now, and countless of them are struggling. You have so much cash on hand, plus media, song production, and film resources. Use that to your advantage: invest in a talent agency. Get all the actors and singers you see potential in on board. If you're worried about being discovered, hand over the controlling stake to someone you deem suitable.

He slapped his forehead and admitted that although he was smart, he hadn't really been involved in much real business. Yes, you can just find someone to hold shares. There are too many of these nominal ownership practices in later generations. If you have shares in an agency under your name, it's easy to find out. But what if you hand it over to someone else? Ken-On and the Sasakawa Group can't possibly check what company shares someone else has under their name all the time, can they?

Sigh, I'm still too kind and honest, and I don't fit in with this world full of self-interest and hypocrisy.

"As expected of my sister, who is a manager at the farmers' association, she knows so much. Let's do it that way. But whose name should the shares be registered under? I think it should be my sister, right?" Kimura Hiroshi directly wanted his sister, Kimura Ryo, to be registered under her name.

However, Kimura Ryo shook her head, took a sip of coffee and said, "Little brother, your sister is going back to the farmers' association in the future. What's the point of having shares in an entertainment agency under my name? Besides, your sister's ideal is not just to stay in the farmers' association every day. I'm helping you manage the company, which is also to gain more management experience."

"Hmm? If you don't want to stay in the farmers' association every day, then what else do you want to do?" Kimura Hiroshi looked at his sister and saw the light shining in her eyes. He knew that it was ambition. Kimura Hiroshi suddenly realized that if he didn't want to stay in the farmers' association, then he could only move up the ranks. And if he wanted to move up the ranks, then he would run for office.

Given their family's influence in Kasukabe, and with a few more years of experience in managing the farmers' association, they would probably have a good chance of running for office. I never expected his sister to be so ambitious. No wonder she hasn't dated yet; clearly, some things are far more important than a boyfriend.

Kimura Hiroshi naturally couldn't say much about this matter. Since his sister had such an idea, it was obviously inappropriate to put the shares in her name. So, who should he turn to?

"Let's put it under Mom's name. It's the most suitable time now. Mom can't come to Tokyo, and she won't interfere with your management. But you need to call her tonight to discuss it." His older sister, Kimura Ryo, had already figured out who to put the name on.

Nodding, Kimura Hiroshi knew this was the best choice. The only people he could trust and who could be registered under his name were his mother and his girlfriend, Nakamori Akina. Although Nakamori Akina was still just his girlfriend, she didn't care about money at all. He wasn't afraid that she would have any thoughts about the shares being registered under her name. However, she was still with Kenon, and if the shares were registered under her name, Kenon would easily find out.

If they get married in the future, and Akina Nakamori leaves Kenon, the shares can be transferred to her name, and then they won't have to worry about being investigated.

Picking up the documents, Kimura Hiroshi began assigning roles to the various agencies. This time, he finished quickly. After that, he started choosing which agency he would invest in. After a while, an agency that had only been established for a few years and was still pitifully weak came into his view.

"Hehe, the future queen of pop agency, are you in such a sorry state now? Well then, let me save you in advance." Kimura Hiroshi looked at the agency with a lewd smile, knowing he would have a good look at them in the future.

Chapter 223 A Generous Price for Stardust Investment

To purchase shares in an entertainment agency, you can't simply show up with money and buy the shares directly. According to Japanese business tradition, you must first communicate with them, inquire about their willingness, and confirm that they are willing to sell the shares before visiting them to discuss the specifics of the acquisition.

The initial communication was naturally handled by his subordinates, not Kimura Hiroshi himself. This was one of the reasons for establishing the company in the first place – to avoid having to do everything personally and instead have professionals do professional things.

The person sent was none other than Takaaki Matsumoto, an old classmate of my sister Ryo Kimura, who is now the head of the sales department. He used to work at a company where he was in charge of negotiating business with other companies. He had to go out to negotiate business every day and achieved remarkable results.

However, no matter how good his grades were, without seniority he could only be a low-level section chief. As a graduate of a prestigious university, he had been in this position for several years and had strong business skills, but he was still stuck in this position. It was really frustrating. So when Kimura Ryo made a offer, he immediately switched jobs, showing no sense of loyalty to a company like the Japanese do.

This was his first official business after joining Hegemony, so Matsumoto Takaaki naturally attached great importance to it and personally led a team to this agency called Stardust Communications to discuss the matter, striving for success in one fell swoop.

Stardust Promotion, in the 21st century, is one of the top ten talent agencies in Japan. It has countless well-known artists under its wing, especially actresses in various films and television dramas. Not only are they numerous and famous, but they are also all beautiful.

However, all of that is from the 21st century. Right now, Stardust isn't just in a bad situation, he's in a terrible one.

Stardust Entertainment, which spun off from a large agency, Oscar Broadcasting, was officially established in 1979 and began its foray into the entertainment industry. This was quite late; without sufficient foundation or resources, it was extremely difficult for them to squeeze into an entertainment circle already dominated by various forces.

Even worse, in the 1980s, the entertainment industry began to experience an idol craze. As a film and television artist, Stardust had no idol resources, which was too cruel for an agency. She began to teeter on the brink of collapse, as if she was about to fall out of the entertainment industry.

However, thanks to the models and artists, they managed to hold on and didn't actually fall out of business, although their business situation was really not good.

Later, what ultimately turned Stardust Media around was a very talented female singer, Izumi Sakai, who is now Sachiko Kamachi. However, in the late 1980s, Stardust was unable to cultivate a new singer. President Yoshiro Hosono pushed her to Daisuke Nagato, the president of BEING Music Production Company, with whom he had a good relationship.

At the time, Daiko Nagato, the head of BEING agency, had high hopes for Izumi Sakai. Although she failed to be selected in the company's vocal audition, he still strongly promoted her to form a band and debut. She eventually became a huge hit and a phenomenon.

At first, Sachiko Kamachi could only work as a gravure model at Stardust, yes, the kind of magazine gravure model who was at the bottom of the entertainment industry.

It was almost the 1990s, and they still didn't have the ability to cultivate a singer. This shows how desperate the agency was. They could only linger on the fringes of the entertainment industry and ultimately only turned things around thanks to the huge success of Izumi Sakai.

Then they ushered in their spring. The 1990s were the era of the rise of Japanese dramas. With the funds obtained from Izumi Sakai, they cultivated the first batch of actresses who became popular in film and television dramas. This was also learned from Oscar Broadcasting. After that, they began to rise step by step and grow into a super-large agency.

The female artists under its management are all beautiful and stunning, and the agency is a guarantee of high ratings for its TV dramas and movies, earning it the nickname "Queen's Agency".

The reason why Kimura Hiroshi took a liking to this firm at first sight was precisely because it seemed to be on the verge of collapse, but in reality it was a very high-quality asset. Now was the perfect time to invest, and perhaps with his investment, it would take off earlier and become stronger. He was sure he could make a fortune then.

He definitely didn't invest in this firm to see beautiful women in the future; all he cared about was money.