My daily life with the original diva

But now is not the time to dwell on such things. Takahashi Akio, holding the envelope, exclaimed, "Editor-in-chief, big news! Big news! Look!"

He then placed the envelope on his desk.

Hirao Takahiro, who was drinking coffee, looked at Takahashi Akifuku's hurried appearance and said with interest, "Oh, what big news is there? It's not that Kimura kid again, is it? You'd better watch out."

This was like rubbing salt in the wound. If he weren't the editor-in-chief, Takahashi Akio probably would have started yelling. He suppressed his anger and said, "It's not about that Kimura kid. It's big news from Johnny's. They're trying to manipulate the Record Awards."

"Really?" Upon hearing this news, Hirao Takahiro immediately perked up. He quickly flipped through the photos and saw that the sales figures were fabricated. He listened to the videotape and found that it was a record store employee who revealed the fabrication. This confirmed the claim.

In addition, there are reports that Johnny's Entertainment is planning to bribe judges, specifically those from the enka genre, to stage a surprise attack during the final judging vote at the Record Awards.

The evidence was quite substantial, and Johnny's had invested a great deal of resources in it. Takahiro Hirao was initially very excited, but as more and more evidence emerged, he calmed down. If this were to be exposed, Weekly Bunshun and Johnny's would be locked in a life-or-death struggle.

"So, editor-in-chief, when should we arrange the layout? I think the sooner the better, because we don't know when the news will leak out," Takahashi Akifuku said excitedly.

But Hirao Takahiro didn't reply; he was lost in thought.

Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be intimidated. Takahashi Akio didn't want to miss this big revelation. They hadn't had such a big scandal for a long time, and if they missed it, the loss would be too great, not to mention the threatening letter inside the envelope.

“Editor-in-chief, we can’t not expose this. We need this juicy story to make up for the sales we lost. Besides, they said that if we don’t expose it, they will go to other media outlets and expose the things we’ve been deliberately hiding. Editor-in-chief, we also have enemies. You should know what they will do then,” Takahashi Akifuku said very seriously.

Yes, they've taken on a hot potato, and they can't get rid of it. Hirao Takahiro knows that if they don't expose it, they might be hit hard again, which would put him in a lot of trouble.

"That Takahashi, really, why did he have to bring this back? It's such a hassle." Hirao Takahiro thought to himself, but he also knew that this matter had to be exposed.

"Go and make the arrangements. This report should be on the cover of the latest magazine tomorrow. As for Johnny's, we have the evidence. What can they do if we expose them?" Having made up his mind, he decided to expose Johnny's. As for offending them, he wasn't very afraid.

"Okay, I'll get right on it." Excitedly, Takahashi Akio ran out with the envelope. This was a big piece of information he had gotten his hands on; if sales increased significantly, he would reap substantial profits.

He may never know that he was used as a pawn by the person he hated most and wanted to kill the most. If he knew, he would probably vomit blood and then strangle himself.

Chapter 236 Shocking Revelation

Early in the morning, Mary and Masahiko Kondo arrived at the office in the same car and went into the vice president's office. After a vigorous night of activity, Masahiko Kondo, sitting on the sofa, still felt a burning pain in his back. If someone were to pull up his clothes, they would see bright red welts on his back, Mary's handiwork from the previous night.

Last night was a very painful one for Masahiko Kondo.

Despite the physical pain, Kondo Masahiko was unusually excited. Last night, the staff member sent to bribe the judges of the Recording Awards called Mary and told her that the enka school judges they wanted to bribe had relented and that they would be informed of the specific price they needed this morning.

It was for this reason that Mary sought out Masahiko Kondo that night to ask for a reward, which forced him to go to Mary's apartment. What followed was a series of inhuman tortures and demands, but it was all worth it. He was about to win the record award and surpass that kid Hiroshi Kimura.

The thought of the methods used against Kimura Hiroshi after receiving the record donation made Kondo Masahiko very excited. He wanted to make this kid dare to ignore him, and sooner or later he would make him beg for mercy. Yes, he would definitely have to kneel down and beg for mercy.

Mary, sitting in her chair, was leisurely enjoying the coffee her secretary had poured for her. She was very dissatisfied with Kondo Masahiko's performance last night. This kid was only twenty years old, yet he couldn't even satisfy her. He was really a good-for-nothing. Once she had used him up in this matter, he could be kicked out. Then she would find someone more capable.

Not long after I arrived at the office, at 8:30 in the morning, there was a knock on the door. Two Johnny's employees walked in with their heads bowed and eyes darting around. However, they didn't seem to have the relaxed and confident demeanor one would expect after getting things done.

Seeing the two men, Mary didn't even look up, continuing to sip her coffee as she asked, "Tell me, how much do those guys want, or what other requests do they have?"

The two exchanged a glance and a few meaningful looks before one of them stammered, "Vice-Vice President, I just received a call from those judges this morning. They all told us not to contact them again, as changing the vote is simply impossible."

Mary, who had been leisurely waiting for the quote, suddenly threw her coffee onto the desk upon hearing the news, spilling it everywhere. She angrily demanded, "Tell me, what do those people mean by this? Have they backed out?"

“Yes, Vice President, they agreed to it last night, but suddenly changed their minds this morning. We don’t know what happened.” Despite Mary’s anger, another staff member spoke up.

The other party suddenly changed their mind, and Mary was momentarily stunned. She cursed, "Useless! All of you are useless! I'll ask you myself!"

As he spoke, he picked up the phone on his desk to make a call.

But at that moment, the office door was pushed open again, and this time it was Mary's younger brother, Johnny Kitagawa Hiroshi, the president of Johnny's.

Looking at the people in the office, he angrily threw the magazines he was holding onto the coffee-splattered desk, pointed at Mary's nose and said, "You really are my good sister, look at the mess you've made, now it's all been exposed. I'd like to see how you clean this up. Let me tell you, Mary, if you don't handle this well, you really shouldn't be the vice president anymore."

Mary, who was about to make a phone call, looked at the magazines stained with coffee. After just one glance, she felt dizzy. They were the magazines released today by Weekly Bunshun. The big headline on the cover read, "Johnny's popular male idol rife with fake record sales, bribes judges, and attempts to steal the record award."

The following lengthy text report includes photos of Johnny & Associates' record company delivering Masahiko Kondo's records to the record store and then returning them that evening.

The photos were taken so clearly that even if you wanted to refute them, you couldn't find an excuse.

After glancing at it casually, Mary was really unsteady on her feet. All these things had been exposed, and she was in big trouble. No wonder the judges suddenly turned against her; they had already received the news. They hadn't accepted the benefits she offered and could easily get away, but it wouldn't be so easy for her.

Not only will the huge initial investment go down the drain, but by doing this, she has broken the rules and offended a lot of people. If Johnny's can't give them a satisfactory answer, then they will definitely target Johnny's in the future. Kitagawa has expanded into an agency, so he certainly won't let her off easily.

"You two go out first." Composing herself, Mary first sent the two staff members out, then slumped down there, seemingly pondering a solution.

But Kitagawa Hiroshi didn't have time to think of a solution. He said angrily, "I told you to kick this pretty boy out a long time ago, but you didn't listen. Now you've caused so much trouble. I will never let him stay in Johnny's. Kondo Masahiko, you're fired from Johnny's. Take your things and get out of Johnny's right now. Don't let me see you again."

Just minutes ago, Masahiko Kondo was fantasizing about how he would show off to Hiroshi Kimura after winning the record award, humiliate him, and then suppress him. But just a few minutes later, the winds of change instantly shifted.

He did nothing wrong. First, the judges changed their minds, then the record sales fraud and the attempt to bribe the judges were exposed. In an instant, he went from heaven to hell, everything vanished, and now he is going to be kicked out of Johnny's.

No, that's not it. He must be hallucinating. He slapped himself twice and found it hurt a lot. It was all real. But he still wanted to be an entertainer and enjoy being adored by everyone. He couldn't leave Johnny's.

He knelt down with a thud, crawled to Mary's side, placed his hands on Mary's thighs, and cried out, "Mom, save me! I don't want to leave Johnny's, and I don't want to leave you."

This tactic used to work, but it doesn't work now. Mary knows how serious this matter is. If it's not handled properly, Johnny's could suffer a major blow. At this point, a mere Kondo Masahiko is not even on her radar.

Hearing this good-for-nothing's shouts, Mary's already irritable heart became even more agitated. She kicked Kondo Masahiko, who was clinging to her leg, and roared, "Now, get out of here right now! I have no time for your business. You're a piece of trash. You can't do anything right. You're really a piece of trash, a piece of trash."

After saying that, he kicked Kondo Masahiko several more times, kicking him until his head was bleeding. However, Kondo Masahiko, a strong man, did not dare to resist at all, like a weak dog, letting himself be beaten.

However, apart from instigating it, everything in this series of events was actually handled by Mary. It had little to do with whether Kondo Masahiko was useless or not. She just didn't think it was because she was incompetent, but because Kondo Masahiko was too useless.

In fact, her methods are quite terrifying. If it were an ordinary artist, even a popular idol, they probably wouldn't be able to withstand her continuous actions.

Unfortunately, she ran into Hiroshi Kimura. Kimura had witnessed all her methods in later years. He was a prophet and nipped her schemes in the bud. No matter how skillful she was, she couldn't outmaneuver someone with cheat codes.

After being brutally beaten, Masahiko Kondo was immediately put into a car by Johnny's security and taken to the hospital. After receiving basic first aid, he was left at his rented apartment. Before leaving, the security guards warned him not to go to Johnny's again.

As Weekly Bunshun magazine went on sale, the bombshell revelation it released sent shockwaves through the entire entertainment industry.

Johnny's Entertainment dares to do this! It's one thing to rig record sales, but to actually try to bribe judges to win the record award is just too unethical.

All parties started to move, but the most embarrassed were those media outlets that were still praising Masahiko Kondo's new single and criticizing Hiroshi Kimura for being cowardly and withdrawing from the Japan Record Awards. This week's big revelation from Bunshun made them feel ashamed in an instant.

What exactly are you praising? A fake single, and you're still praising it? If this isn't a case of being paid to do something, then it's simply unacceptable. After learning the news, many media outlets immediately began recalling newspapers and magazines from the market, but unfortunately, it was too late. Many media outlets were labeled as being paid to do something, and readers hate this kind of thing the most. Inevitably, this led to a sharp drop in sales.

The media reacted quickly, and the judges of the Recording Awards reacted even faster. As an organization with enormous power, they issued a statement on TBS television that same day, stating that some Johnny's staff had indeed approached certain judges, but they were of high moral character and had not been bribed. The Recording Awards were absolutely fair and impartial.

Furthermore, in order to demonstrate the fairness of this year's record awards, all Johnny's artists were barred from participating. The first to be eliminated was Masahiko Kondo. Not only was he barred from participating, but he was also blacklisted by the Composers Association and TBS television, which prohibited him from participating in TBS television programs and also prohibited the Composers Association from providing him with any more songs.

Also affected was the unfortunate Toshihiko Tagen, who was originally scheduled to participate in the Special Award selection for the Recording Awards, but was directly banned from the competition, and his song was removed from the selection process.

In addition, Shonentai, who were active on NHK music programs and were preparing to debut soon, have been asked to suspend their activities, and all the programs they had previously recorded are not allowed to be broadcast. In other words, they may face the danger of being blacklisted even before they have debuted.

Not only the TV station, but also the enka group expressed their anger. After all, with Hiroshi Kimura's withdrawal from this year's record awards, Hiroshi Itsuki of the enka group had the best chance of winning. How could Johnny's Entertainment pull such a trick behind the scenes? The enka group released a message that if Johnny's Entertainment did not give a satisfactory answer, they would also blacklist Johnny's Entertainment.

For a time, Johnny's Entertainment seemed to be in a precarious situation.

Chapter 237 He Did It All

Such a shocking revelation left many media outlets regretting missing out on the first sip of the soup. Naturally, they couldn't let go of the second sip. The next day, in addition to Weekly Bunshun releasing audio evidence, other media outlets followed suit. However, none of them had any new evidence; at most, they could only ride the wave of popularity and fabricate some stories.

Even so, a large number of media outlets flocked to report on the matter, making the situation even bigger and bigger, but the most important party involved, Johnny & Associates, did not make any move the next day.

"Such a big thing, and Johnny's hasn't said a word. Are they planning to play dead and cover it up?" In Ken-on's office, Yukio Tomioka looked at today's entertainment news and speculated.

Putting down the newspaper, Kimura Hiroshi pondered for a moment and said, "Impossible. No one would agree to let such a big thing slip by by pretending to be dead. The only reason they're not talking now is that they're figuring out a solution, or maybe they're trying to find someone to smooth things over."

This attack caused Johnny's a lot of trouble, but Hiroshi Kimura never thought that he could bring Johnny's down so easily. Johnny's has done so many things that have broken the rules of the entertainment industry, but they have all gotten away with it. This shows that Johnny's is not simple. It is rumored that Mary has close ties with certain political figures.

However, Johnny's will likely have to pay a hefty price to persuade those figures to speak on their behalf. Coupled with the losses caused by this incident, Johnny's will probably choose to keep a low profile for the next few years. But that's enough. For Hiroshi Kimura, what he lacks now is time. Give him a few years, and once he has developed, Johnny's will just be another agency to him.

Just as Kimura Hiroshi had predicted, two days later, Itsuki Hiroshi called the agency directly. On the phone, he said, "Kimura-san, I'm sorry, Johnny's has brought in a big shot to mediate. We have to give them some face, but Johnny's has also promised to give us an explanation. In addition, the Composers Association doesn't want this matter to continue, as it has caused them a lot of damage. They want to protect the reputation of the Japan Record Awards."

I had expected this to happen. In the entertainment industry, it's impossible to succeed without connections. Johnny's Entertainment did indeed send people. Although Hiroshi Itsuki has a high status in the yakuza world, he doesn't dare to disrespect certain big shots.

"It's alright. Itsuki-san, this isn't your fault. We've taught Johnny's a lesson, letting them know to follow the rules." Kimura Hiroshi was somewhat disappointed, but he still spoke firmly.

"Yes, I'm very grateful that you understand me, Kimura-san. Although I can't do anything more to Johnny's, don't worry, Kimura-san, I won't forget what I promised you. Oh, I forgot to tell you, Kondo Masahiko has been kicked out of Johnny's. Now, just wait for my good news." Itsuki Hiroshi said with a hint of guilt.

If Kimura Hiroshi hadn't told him about this, he might still be kept in the dark and have lost the record award without even realizing it. Now that someone has done him a favor, and he hasn't fulfilled all of their requests, he can only make up for it in other ways, such as getting on Kondo Masahiko's good side as soon as possible.

"Okay, thank you very much, Itsuki-san. I'll wait for your good news." The two chatted politely for a while before hanging up. Kimura Hiroshi shook his head, still feeling a little annoyed that he hadn't been able to get his revenge completely.

However, it would be good to deal with Kondo Masahiko first. At least we won't have to see this disgusting guy on TV shows anymore. I wonder what kind of expression this guy, who said he would make him beg for mercy just a couple of days ago, will have now. Thinking of this, Kimura Hiroshi smiled.

Two days later, Johnny's finally held a press conference, attracting a large number of reporters and even broadcasting it live on television. The broadcasting station was none other than TBS.

At the press conference, Johnny's president Hiroshi Kitagawa and Mary Kitagawa were both present. Facing numerous cameras and video recorders, they naturally began to perform the traditional Japanese art of bowing in apology, and bowing more than 90 degrees.

After bowing for three minutes, it was time for the routine press conference. The message was quite simple: it was all Kondo Masahiko's fault.

The idea of ​​rigging record sales was Masahiko Kondo's. He had an extremely good relationship with the vice president, Mary, and the two privately referred to each other as mother and son. So, facing the prospect of becoming obsolete, Kondo persuaded Mary to rig the sales. Because of their relationship, Mary was eventually swayed and agreed to help him rig the sales.

As for bribing the judges of the Record Awards, it did happen. It was done by Kondo Masahiko through Mary's name, with the help of his agency's employees. However, the judges were of high moral character and were not bribed. In short, Mary is a kind person who is easily swayed. The Record Awards are fair and just. Only Kondo Masahiko is a complete scoundrel, so bad that he's rotten to the core.

Finally, Johnny's Entertainment imposed penalties, terminating all contracts with Masahiko Kondo. In other words, Kondo was publicly kicked out of Johnny's. After such a huge scandal, there was no possibility for him to return to the entertainment industry. The two employees who tried to bribe the judges were also fired.

Next came Mary's punishment. Because of her involvement in rigging record sales, Johnny's decided to remove her from her position as vice president, but did not kick her out of Johnny's. This was the last punishment Johnny's could impose.

It's obvious to everyone that Johnny's is using Masahiko Kondo as a scapegoat for this punishment, while Mary is completely unscathed. Although she was removed from her position as vice president, who knows what really happened?

Since the press conference was in the afternoon, Hiroshi Kimura watched the entire conference at his agency and couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, saying, "Heh, Johnny's really knows how to shift the blame. So many things, and a small-time idol can do it all. He's really amazing, not inferior to me."

"Yeah, you know, Kondo Masahiko is so amazing, how come he was brought down by a scandal and then stopped being popular? Haha." Tomioka Yukio next to him also felt that this was really treating others like fools, but it didn't matter, as long as someone took all the blame, just like those poor Japanese accountants who would commit suicide by jumping in front of the train every year.

"Sigh, when something goes wrong, it's always us low-level artists who suffer, while the benefits go to the agency presidents and producers. It's really pathetic," Kimura Hiroshi said with great emotion.

At this point, Yukio Tomioka, who was standing next to him, couldn't agree anymore. Good grief, you're the president of a production company, okay? Calling yourself a pitiful little artist is really shameless.

In a high-end apartment, Kondo Masahiko, his head still bandaged, watched as Mary calmly shifted all the blame onto him at the press conference. He was furious and nearly went crazy, yelling, "Old woman, damned woman, it's all your fault! You actually put all the blame on me! It's all your fault!"

As he spoke, he picked up the water glass on the table and smashed it hard against the television. With a loud bang, a black hole appeared in the television screen, and shards of the water glass scattered everywhere. By sheer coincidence, one shard bounced back and grazed Kondo Masahiko's face, leaving a gash.

Touching the blood on his face, Kondo Masahiko felt as if even God was against him. He then proceeded to smash things up in the apartment until everything was completely destroyed before collapsing to the ground.

Downstairs at the apartment building, several men in black jackets with somewhat unfriendly expressions were gathered in a corner not far from the apartment, smoking. One of them, who looked to be in his thirties and had a scar near his eye, was clearly their leader.

A moment later, a henchman came running over, panting, and reported, "Team leader, this apartment has three exits. I've arranged for people to watch them all, taking turns to guard them. No matter when that kid comes out, we'll be able to see him."

"Hmm, well done. Use this money to buy some good food and drinks for the team members. Don't mistreat them. During their breaks, arrange for them to go to brothels, but each person can only go once. Understand?" the scarred man instructed.

"Hey, thanks, team leader." The younger brother, overjoyed with the money, hurriedly ran off.

A middle-aged man standing nearby, who looked rather refined and was quite different from the rest of the group, remarked upon seeing how generous Yokota-san was, "Yokota-san is really generous, giving away hundreds of thousands of yen like that."

"Hehe, Uesugi-san, we're about to make a lot of money, so we need to let our underlings experience what it's like to be rich. That guy named Kondo Masahiko is a top male idol. Once he comes out, we'll follow the plan. He'll be the lead actor, which will definitely make you a fortune. You'll have to give me a bigger share then," Yokota said with a grin.

He seemed to have a good relationship with this Uesugi, but he didn't put his arm around him. As for why, this Uesugi Hideyuki was not only a yakuza member, but also an excellent adult film director. Of course, that wasn't the main reason. The main reason was that he was somewhat indiscriminate in his sexuality, and he could do anything with both men and women. Yokota was a straight man and was very afraid that his rear would be in danger.

"Well, if you can make money, I certainly won't shortchange you. Speaking of which, I've never had a top male idol make a movie before, so it'll definitely be a different experience."

"But before that, I'd really like to try him out. I heard he has a close relationship with that Mary, though I don't know what kind of relationship it is—godmother and son, huh? It's just like those plots I filmed. How can he get along so well with that old woman? I'll test his mettle first before letting him make movies." Uesugi gave a strange smile, a smile that any man would understand.