My daily life with the original diva

I must say, he truly deserves to be a future renowned director. Although this is only Takeshi Kitano's second film, his directing skills are already very proficient, and he has some unique insights. Although he can be a bit sharp-tongued, he generously shares his knowledge with Hiroshi Kimura, just like a master teaching his apprentice.

While learning directing techniques from Takeshi Kitano, Hiroshi Kimura also did not forget another future famous director working on the set, Shunji Iwai. The meticulousness and artistic conception of Iwai's film shots were still awe-inspiring to Kimura, who was still just a college student at the time, and his filming techniques were still somewhat immature.

However, Hiroshi Kimura didn't mind. He often pulled him and Takeshi Kitano aside to discuss how to shoot the scenes in a way that would achieve the artistic conception the film wanted to express, and how to shoot the plot in a way that would be simple and clear for the audience, yet profound in meaning. He also often brought in veteran director Katsumi Nishikawa to train them. The three of them enriched their directing skills through this kind of discussion and learning.

Just as Hiroshi Kimura was engrossed in honing his directing skills, the outside world was in turmoil. First, his girlfriend Akina Nakamori officially released her fourth single of the year in mid-November, "Tears Are Not Decorations," with lyrics and music by the famous composer Yosui Inoue.

This is a very dynamic pop song with strong rock elements. It's very catchy, but the lyrics are a bit cringeworthy. The opening lines are something like, "Even if I get grazed by a speeding car turning a corner, even if I slip while walking, I won't be afraid." When Kimura Hiroshi heard these lyrics, he wondered for a moment if Inoue Yosui was just sloppy when writing the lyrics.

When Akina Nakamori first performed this song on stage, Hiroshi Kimura also went to the scene. After all, it was his girlfriend's performance, so he had to support her. At that time, Akina Nakamori was wearing a pink sequined stage outfit, which shocked him quite a bit. It had a very retro feel to it.

With Akina Nakamori's current explosive popularity, coupled with her wonderful performance of the song and its extremely high quality, the album immediately became a bestseller after its official release, selling over 90,000 copies in its first week and ranking first on the album sales chart.

Despite the huge success of Nakamori Akina's new single, it hasn't made headlines in many entertainment media outlets. Currently, there are two things that the media is most concerned about, and which are also the focus of attention for many onlookers.

First, in October, reporters broke the news that top female idol Seiko Matsuda was going to marry Hiromi Go. This was absolutely explosive news, and the media naturally kept chasing after it. In the continuous interviews, Hiromi Go finally couldn't hold back and admitted that she was preparing to marry her girlfriend Seiko Matsuda.

However, compared to Hiromi Go's resolute answer, Seiko Matsuda's response was somewhat vague.

"Marrying a man who is good enough is my dream, and I also want to work after marriage." This was Seiko Matsuda's answer at the time. Because she had praised Hiromi Go as an excellent man, the media believed that she was referring to Hiromi Go.

However, the later statement that marriage also requires working is somewhat puzzling, because Hiromi Go herself said that she hoped the woman would prioritize family after marriage, meaning she wanted the woman to stay home and be a full-time housewife. Now, Seiko Matsuda is saying that marriage also requires working, which is quite contradictory.

By mid-November, the media reported that Seiko Matsuda had visited Hiromi Go's home and met his family. Even Hiromi Go's father said that the two were about to get married.

This seems to confirm that the couple's wedding is imminent. Whether it will be at the end of this year or the beginning of next year, the media has already begun to speculate, and the general public has also joined in. Most people think it should be at the beginning of next year because this year's time is too tight.

Another issue is the upcoming record awards. Before the official selection process even began, some controversy arose, namely that the children's group's "If Tomorrow" announced its withdrawal from this year's record awards competition after the preliminary selection.

According to reliable sources, the TV show "Chin-chan" featuring the children's group will be reorganized next year because the show's ratings have dropped significantly. The children's group may disband, and they don't seem to have much of a chance at this year's awards, so they have decided to withdraw to avoid taking up too much of their energy.

The remaining singers are Hiroshi Kimura, Akina Nakamori, Masahiko Kondo, and Hiroshi Itsuki. Among these four singers, three are idol singers, which is unprecedented. Some media outlets have even started to imagine a scenario where idol singers hunt down enka singers, seemingly trying to make this year's record awards as competitive as possible.

As the deadline for confirming the single for the Japan Record Awards approached, Hiroshi Kimura began to get a little anxious. This was because the Japan Record Awards wasn't just about registering and waiting for the selection; there was a confirmation ceremony beforehand, and once confirmed, you couldn't withdraw.

Because he was certain he was going to withdraw, but he wanted to use this as leverage to gain enough power to strike at Johnny's. However, Inoue Yosui hadn't called him to confirm whether anyone had bribed the composers' association's judges for this award.

Just the day before the show was to be held, Kimura Hiroto couldn't help but want to call Inoue Yosui. Finally, the guy called him. On the phone, Inoue Yosui told him, "Someone wants to bribe the judges of the enka school. It is said that the amount is very large. I just don't know who the bribe is for. The other party has a lot of influence and does a very good job of keeping it a secret. I don't know. Kimura-san, you have to be careful."

Upon receiving confirmation, Kimura Hiroshi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Once he was certain that the other party had indeed begun to take action, things became much simpler. He wouldn't need to investigate who had been bribed; he could simply present the evidence he had gathered, and someone would investigate who it was and confront the other party. This grand prize was far too important to him, and he would never give it up.

Finally, the day arrived to confirm the program. Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina each took a car to TBS TV station to prepare for the pre-show program for this year's Recording Awards. However, Kimura Hiroshi was not going to participate in the program, but to inform Nakamori Akina of his withdrawal from the awards. However, he had not yet told Nakamori Akina about this. It would not be too late to tell her after today's business was settled.

As the year draws to a close, TBS television station is exceptionally busy, especially today, as many popular singers have come to the station, as singers competing for other awards at the record awards will also be here.

The entire backstage area was bustling with activity. Kimura Hiroshi looked around and saw many familiar faces: his girlfriend Nakamori Akina, Matsuda Seiko and Kawai Naoko who had attacked him on the Night HIT program, several big names from the enka school, and especially Itsuki Hiroshi, who had been shortlisted for the Record Awards and was beaming with pride, clearly confident of winning the grand prize.

However, he wasn't the only one beaming with joy. There was another person, Masahiko Kondo. Gone was his previous timidity. He seemed to have regained the confidence of a former popular idol, chatting happily with several other singers as if his previous decline in popularity had never happened.

Chapter 232 Why Isn't He My Boyfriend?

When Hiroshi Kimura appeared in the sight of everyone present, people immediately came over to greet him. Now, his status in the entertainment industry is not just that of a top idol. He is also a music composer, actor, screenwriter, producer, and even the president of a production company. His status is far beyond that of a top idol singer.

Many people want to curry favor with him and get some resources from him, whether in music or movies.

No matter who it was, Kimura Hiroshi would always respond with a smile to anyone who greeted him. If they were someone he knew well, he would exchange a few words. He didn't have the habit of looking down on others after his status rose. However, if they wanted resources, it depended on how much profit they could bring him. Without sufficient benefits, nothing was worth discussing.

"Why are you so late, Kimura-san? You haven't even changed your clothes or put on makeup yet. Rehearsal is about to start, so hurry up and change." Seeing that Kimura Hiroshi had arrived so late and hadn't prepared anything, Nakamori Akina quickly came over to urge him to change his clothes and put on makeup, afraid that he would be late for the program rehearsal and performance.

However, Hiroshi Kimura did not intend to go to the dressing room. Instead, he stood still, shook his head, and said, "There's no need to go, Akina-san. I'll explain this to you properly after the show ends."

Startled, Nakamori Akina initially didn't understand what Kimura Hiroshi meant by those words, but after a moment's thought, she realized. She said incredulously, "Kimura-san, you're going to back out..."

Surprised, Akina Nakamori spoke quite loudly, so Hiroshi Kimura quickly covered her mouth. After confirming that there were no cameras around, he pulled Akina Nakamori to a corner where not many people were around, amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd.

At this moment, Akina Nakamori still didn't understand why Hiroki Kimura wanted to withdraw from the record awards. She felt sad and confused. After thinking about it, she felt that it might be because she had made the decision on her own. She knew that Hiroki had never liked award ceremonies and rarely went to award ceremonies before. She must have made the decision on her own to register him and caused him trouble.

"I'm sorry, Hiro-kun. You've never liked these award ceremonies. It's all my fault for signing you up without your permission." As she spoke, Akina Nakamori, feeling guilty, burst into tears.

"Don't cry, don't cry. It's not what Akina thinks. I just want to withdraw from the election in exchange for something more important, something more important than winning the award. I also need to thank Akina. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had this extra condition that the other party had in mind." Kimura Hiroshi had already anticipated this situation, which was why he planned to explain to Nakamori Akina after everything was over.

Unexpectedly, she guessed it so easily. I quickly wiped away her tears and said very seriously.

However, Akina Nakamori felt that Hiroshi Kimura was just trying to comfort her, and with her eyes still red, she said, "You're just trying to coax me. If I did something wrong, you should have told me."

"I really wasn't lying to you. Everything I said is true. Akina, think about it. We've been together for so long. Have I ever lied to you about anything important?" Kimura Hiroshi was telling the truth. Nakamori Akina's help in getting him into the preliminary rounds of the record awards and making him a favorite gave him another reason to convince her.

After thinking about it, Nakamori Akina realized that Kimura Hiroshi hadn't lied to her about important matters before. She stopped crying and asked, "Is it true?"

"It's true, you'll see in a few days. Look at you, your eyes are all red from crying. If you go out later, people will think I bullied you again. Ah, if so many people see this and it gets reported in the media tomorrow, I really won't be able to explain myself." Kimura Hiroshi was really at his wit's end. Their relationship was probably going to get more and more outrageous.

Akina Nakamori quickly wiped away her tears and blinked hard, trying to recover, but it was obviously in vain. Without a good night's sleep, her red eyes wouldn't get better.

The rehearsal was about to begin, and it was obviously too late to resume at this point. Nakamori Akina and Kimura Hiroshi had no choice but to return to the public eye.

As expected, when Nakamori Akina was pulled away by Kimura Hiroshi, her eyes were red, which sparked a lot of quiet discussion. Many people didn't know what their relationship was like in private, but they knew about the media reports about their bad relationship some time ago, and wondered if Kimura Hiroshi had bullied Nakamori Akina again.

This kind of thing is common in the entertainment industry, and no one really says much about it, since the agency doesn't seem to care. But at this moment, Seiko Matsuda walked over, looked at the two of them with interest, and then pulled Akina Nakamori aside, asking in a low voice, "What's wrong, Akina-chan? Did you have a fight with Kimura-san? Was it about the record awards?"

Nakamori Akina was initially somewhat wary of Matsuda Seiko, after all, she was one of the main characters in the intimate incident on the last Night HIT program. However, recently the media has been saying that she is going to marry Go Hiromi, which has greatly reduced Nakamori Akina's wariness. In her opinion, if the other party is going to get married, then she must not have any feelings for Hiromi anymore.

So when asked with concern, Akina Nakamori honestly replied, "Yes, that's right."

"Ah, men are all the same, aren't they? He's forcing you to withdraw from the record award competition, isn't he? Men always prioritize their own careers and don't consider the feelings of us women. They always say things like, 'Why do you need a career after marriage? Just stay home, take care of the kids, and do housework.' Can't we women have career ambitions? It's really awful."

Upon hearing this answer, Seiko Matsuda seemed to have found a woman who could empathize with her, and she even started complaining to her business rival. At the same time, her feelings towards Hiroshi Kimura began to deteriorate; this guy was no different from other men.

However, when Nakamori Akina heard this, she knew that Matsuda Seiko had misunderstood Kimura Hiroshi. She didn't want this to happen. The media had already said enough, and she didn't want anyone else to misunderstand Kimura Hiroshi. She quickly explained, "No, no, Seiko-chan misunderstood. Kimura-san is withdrawing from the record awards. I think it might be because of me that he cried. Besides, there's nothing wrong with getting married and becoming a housewife."

Like being struck by lightning, Seiko Matsuda was completely stunned. What did that mean? It wasn't asking his girlfriend to leave, but that he was leaving himself.

Doesn't that kid care about his career? Is he going to withdraw so that Nakamori Akina can run for president? How could that be? She asked incredulously, "Kimura-san wants to withdraw, shouldn't he be asking you to withdraw? Doesn't he really support your singing career? Didn't he ever say anything like he wanted you to stay home and take care of the kids and do housework after we got married?"

At this moment, Akina Nakamori was also confused. She couldn't understand why Seiko Matsuda would say such a thing, but she was not good at refusing others. After thinking for a while, she said, "No, Kimura-san is very supportive of my singing. He thinks that as long as I like it, that's fine. As for after we get married, he said that we can work together on our careers, but I don't really want to. I also like cleaning the house and doing housework."

Akina Nakamori was completely unaware that she had already revealed her relationship with Hiroshi Kimura, but Seiko Matsuda had already guessed this, so it didn't count as a leak.

At this moment, Matsuda Seiko felt as sour as if she had a lemon stuck in her heart. Damn it, damn it, so damn it! Why was this woman able to find such a boyfriend? He was talented, handsome, and supported her career. He even withdrew from the record awards. Meanwhile, although she had found a boyfriend she really liked, he only wanted to stay at home and take care of the children.

But she didn't want to stay home with the children; she wanted to continue singing. She loved singing and loved the feeling of being admired. Matsuda Seiko couldn't help but look at Kimura Hiroshi, who was chatting and laughing with someone. She felt very sad. Why wasn't her boyfriend this guy?

Seiko Matsuda had already made up her mind: if the other party insisted that she stay at home and become a housewife, then the marriage would not take place. She didn't want to stay at home taking care of the children every day; that was not the life she wanted.

Standing not far away, Kimura Hiroshi felt Matsuda Seiko's gaze. Not knowing what she meant by looking at him, he simply smiled politely at her, then looked at Nakamori Akina to make sure she was alright before he felt relieved.

Soon, the production crew came over and notified everyone to go to the rehearsal. Kimura Hiroshi also went over and sat with everyone. Then, one by one, these popular singers who were about to compete for various awards took the stage to begin their rehearsal performance.

Because there were so many people, apart from a few people who were very interested in Kimura Hiroshi, no one noticed that he didn't go up to rehearse. Among those people who noticed was Kondo Masahiko.

Actually, he had been keeping an eye on Kimura Hiroshi ever since he came backstage at the show. He couldn't help it; Kimura Hiroshi was his biggest enemy. Since his debut, things had become increasingly unlucky for him, partly because he had been repeatedly disciplined and abused by Mary. Although he had no idea what Kimura Hiroshi had done to get back at him, he was filled with hatred for him.

Earlier, he saw Nakamori Akina and Kimura Hiro go to a corner to chat, and when they came out, Nakamori Akina's eyes were red. Hearing the discussions around them, he assumed that Kimura Hiro was threatening Nakamori Akina over the record award. He was secretly delighted. Ha, woman, she chose this guy back then, and now she's suffering. She'll definitely suffer even more in the future.

It was during rehearsals, and Kondo Masahiko noticed that Kimura Hiroshi hadn't gone up for the rehearsals, which meant he was withdrawing. He was overjoyed, thinking that the kid was quite smart, knowing that he had no chance of winning the grand prize, so he voluntarily withdrew. Ha, kid, you have good judgment.

Having suffered so many setbacks in front of Kimura Hiroshi, this time he finally had a chance to turn the tables. And thinking about Mary's promise to use those methods to completely drive this kid out of the entertainment industry, the excitement of impending victory was truly overwhelming.

With this feeling of extreme excitement, it was Kondo Masahiko's turn to go on stage for rehearsal. However, due to his excessive excitement, the rehearsal turned into a train wreck. Despite it being a very simple idol song, he sang it off-key and out of tune multiple times, causing many people around him to laugh and making Kondo Masahiko extremely embarrassed.

Kimura Hiroshi, sitting in the audience, had no interest in appreciating this disastrous performance. With singing skills like that, winning a record award would be a huge joke. He quickly got up to go to the restroom, as he simply couldn't stand it anymore.

Chapter 233 Let him make short films

After using the restroom, Kimura Hiroshi was about to wash his hands when he figured that Kondo Masahiko should have finished rehearsing and he wouldn't have to suffer listening to his hoarse voice anymore. But when he got to the sink, he found Kondo Masahiko standing there, cursing in front of the mirror. Although his voice was very soft, he could vaguely hear his own name.

He really didn't want to have any contact with this guy, but Kimura Hiroshi couldn't stand him not washing his hands after using the toilet, so he had no choice but to go over and turn on the tap.

Similarly, Masahiko Kondo did not expect to run into Hiroshi Kimura here. He had been so excited to go on stage that he had repeatedly cracked his voice and sung off-key, which made him the subject of ridicule by the people around him. After the rehearsal, he quickly ran to the toilet to avoid the gossip.

Thinking that he was about to become the winner of the record award, but at the last minute he was still being ridiculed by those people, and all of this was because of Kimura Hiroshi, he couldn't help but curse in front of the mirror. But Kimura Hiroshi was like a ghost that would never leave him, and he would appear in front of him even when he went to the toilet.

This was too much for Kondo Masahiko to bear. He completely forgot Mary's warning not to tell anyone about the record awards. Looking at Kimura Hiroshi, who was washing his hands, he said arrogantly, "Kid, you didn't go up to the rehearsal, so you're withdrawing from the record awards, aren't you? You do have some insight, knowing you have no chance of winning this award."

I never expected Kondo Masahiko to talk to me. Ever since I made this guy lose his temper, he's always been timid and hesitant when he sees me. He doesn't have the same imposing manner he had when he first met me and warned me. I never expected him to be so bold now. And judging from his tone, he's determined to win the record award.

Intrigued to tease this guy, Kimura Hiroshi stood up and said, "Yes, I certainly have no chance of winning the record award, but Mr. Kondo's record sales and other aspects are not as good as mine. Do you have a chance to win the record award?"

"Of course, what good is it if you're famous? What good are good record sales? Ha, the entertainment industry isn't about those things. There's a power strong enough to control everything. I want the record award, and it'll be mine. Just wait, one day I'll have that power too, and then you'll be dead." As he said this, Kondo Masahiko became even more arrogant, as if he held Kimura Hiroshi's fate in his hands.

Looking at this incredibly arrogant guy in front of him, anyone who didn't know better would really think he was some kind of big shot. Shaking the water off his hands, Kimura Hiroshi simply replied, "Alright, then I'll wait for that day to come. Don't disappoint me."

After saying that, he ignored the wetness on his hands, patted Kondo Masahiko on the shoulder, and walked outside without even glancing at him.

He's just a gigolo next to Mary, yet he's already so arrogant. He's destined to achieve nothing great. That makes sense. In the original story, after Mary fell seriously ill and was hospitalized and unable to manage affairs, he was immediately exposed for having an affair with a young female president, and was then kicked out of Johnny's board of directors. It's clear that this guy really doesn't have any tricks up his sleeve. Without an older woman protecting him, he was immediately manipulated and then kicked aside.

Unexpectedly, after all he had said, this kid had such an indifferent attitude. This made Kondo Masahiko, who originally wanted to show off and hopefully make him beg for mercy, feel extremely uncomfortable with a feeling stuck in his chest. He could only say fiercely to Kimura Hiroshi's back, "Just you wait, kid, you'll be begging me sooner or later."

Kimura Hiroshi, who had already walked away, simply waved his hand at him. He was really arrogant, thinking, "Fine, I'll let you be happy for a couple of days. If you can maintain this state in a couple of days, then I, Kimura Hiroshi, will admire you for once."

Back in the studio, Kimura Hiroshi stood at the door and looked inside. He saw Itsuki Hiroshi sitting in the front row, walked over to him, and sat down next to him.

At this moment, Hiroshi Itsuki was watching the rehearsal on stage with great interest when he suddenly saw Hiroshi Kimura sitting down next to him. Somewhat surprised, he asked, "Oh, it's Kimura-san. Why are you sitting here all of a sudden? This is our enka school's territory. Be careful not to get beaten up."

He was obviously joking when he said that. He and Hiroshi Kimura were friends, so how could he possibly hit him? But it was during the Great Recording Awards competition, and there were indeed factions between the enka and pop music schools, even within the judging committee, and there were significant conflicts between them.

"There are some very important things I need to discuss with Mr. Itsuki. It concerns the record awards. After the program, please come to my car, Mr. Itsuki, and we'll talk," Kimura Hiroshi said very solemnly.

When the topic of the record awards came up, Hiroshi Itsuki's playful expression vanished, replaced by a serious one. He needed the record awards more than anyone else.

This actually involves the internal struggle within the enka school. As two leading figures of the enka school in the same era, Hiroshi Itsuki and Takashi Hosokawa had a very serious competition, and the two had always been vying for the title of the best in the enka school.

However, although Hiroshi Itsuki debuted earlier and was considered a senior to Takashi Hosokawa, he was always at a disadvantage in this competition. Hosokawa won the Recording Award for two consecutive years, which seriously questioned its status.

Therefore, he must win this grand prize this year to consolidate his position. Not only Johnny's, but he also exerted his influence on the selection committee, but it was mostly about building relationships and he did not bribe the judges.

Hiroshi Kimura, standing before him, was one of his biggest rivals, the other being Akina Nakamori. As for Masahiko Kondo, he didn't take him seriously at all. Now that his biggest rival was going to talk to him about the record awards, he naturally needed to be cautious.

"What is there to discuss? Kimura-san, do you want me to withdraw voluntarily?" Itsuki Hiroshi instinctively thought that would be it, but no matter what conditions were offered, he would not withdraw, because this was not just about the status of the enka school, but also involved other complex interests, such as his status in a certain organization. He needed this record award to refute those doubts.

Shaking his head, Hiroshi Kimura said, "How could that be, Itsuki-san? If you don't want the record award to be taken away by someone else without any explanation, then please come on time."

After saying that, he didn't linger and immediately returned to his seat, leaving behind a shocked Itsuki Hiroshi whose mind was racing. "The record award was taken away by someone? Who? Who could it be? Could it be him? Impossible. If it were him, there's no reason for him to tell me this. So it must be someone else. Who could it be? Nakamori Akina or Kondo Masahiko?"

For a moment, he couldn't guess who it could be, and felt that anyone could be it.

The rehearsal ended quickly, followed by a two-hour recording session. The singers present were all veterans who had appeared on countless shows. The recording went very smoothly with almost no mistakes, only a short delay before the recording was completed.

However, Hiroshi Itsuki, who should have been the most reliable singer, made a small mistake while singing, going off-key by two notes. Moreover, his expression was not good after he went on stage, completely lacking the smugness and eloquence he displayed during rehearsals. No one knew what had happened in that short period of time.

After the program ended, Kimura Hiroshi first sent Nakamori Akina away, telling her that he had something to do, but he didn't tell her what it was. Then he returned to his car and asked Tomioka Yukio and Michiko to wait for him not far away. He took out the things he had prepared beforehand and began to wait for Itsuki Hiroshi to arrive.

He didn't have to wait long before Hiroshi Itsuki arrived. He was clearly very interested in the record award, arriving in a hurry. After getting into the car and closing the door, he immediately asked, "Tell me, Kimura-san, who will take home the record award?"

Without saying much, Kimura Hiroshi handed Itsuki Hiroshi a thick stack of photos and a tape recorder.