My daily life with the original diva

"Ah, it's Itsuki-san. I'm back now. Happy New Year to you too," Kimura Hiroshi replied politely.

After chatting for a couple more minutes, Hiroshi Itsuki finally revealed the purpose of his call. He said, "That kid Masahiko Kondo has already fallen into the trap. He's currently filming his first movie, and the finished product should be ready in about two weeks. Would you like to take a look, Kimura-san? I can have them send it to you."

Kimura Hiroshi hadn't expected that the kid would be dealt with so quickly, but the thought of him watching that guy's films was really disgusting. He quickly refused, saying, "No need, Itsuki-san, it seems a bit nauseating. Let those who like to watch it watch it."

"Hahaha, you little brat, alright, then I won't send it to you. By the way, you should be able to see this in the news reports in a couple of days. That means Kondo Masahiko will be another top star in the photography world from now on, and he probably won't have the chance to return to the entertainment industry." Itsuki Hiroshi said coldly.

"That would be wonderful, thank you so much, Itsuki-san," Kimura Hiroshi said gratefully, since he was the one who had entrusted the other party with this matter.

After talking for a while, he hung up the phone. Kimura Hiroshi sneered, "You bastard, you've finally received the punishment you deserve. You've finally paid back some of the money you made. Enjoy your little movie career. I hope I can drain you dry."

Thinking of this, Kimura Hiroshi was in a particularly good mood. He picked up the phone and dialed the number of Nakamori Akina's apartment. He didn't know if Nakamori Akina had returned, but he just wanted to try calling. Unexpectedly, the call was answered very quickly. Kimura Hiroshi asked in a very gentle tone, "Guess who I am, dear Akina."

Chapter 248 A Big Problem Has Been Discovered

"I know, it's my dear Hiro-kun. The call came just in time. I just got back to the apartment and haven't even put my bag down yet." Nakamori Akina's cheerful voice came from the other end, mixed with some rustling sounds, probably from putting her things away.

Looking at the time, it was already past 10 p.m. Kimura Hiroshi asked with concern, "You're already this busy just starting work today?"

"Yeah, who can blame you when your Akina is so amazing? Her singles are always number one in sales, so it's impossible for her not to be busy," Akina Nakamori said with a touch of pride.

"Tears Are Not Decorations," released in mid-November last year, is still selling well this year. Although sales are not as high as last year, it is still number one on the charts, which shows that this girl's current dominance is really strong. No one can compete with her when she does something, not even Matsuda Seiko.

"Yes, yes, yes, Akina is the best, but if that's the case, then we won't have time to meet." Good sales also mean that Nakamori Akina is very busy, so even though the two of them are in Tokyo, it's very difficult for them to meet.

Akina Nakamori, who had been cheerful earlier, said somewhat dejectedly, "Yeah, being too busy isn't good either. I don't even have a chance to meet with Hiro-kun. I have to fly to Fukutsuna for promotions first thing tomorrow morning, and then I have to go to Kansai. I won't be able to come back for several days."

I was basically traveling all over the country. Although Japan is a small country, it is very long from north to south, which makes the journey not an easy one.

Although Hiroshi Kimura didn't need to promote the event nationwide, he was still very busy afterward. The New Year was over, and even though we were both in Tokyo, we didn't have a chance to meet.

This was something Kimura Hiroshi couldn't accept. Sometimes, not being able to meet was just a false premise; it mainly depended on whether people had the initiative. Kimura Hiroshi glanced at the clock, made up his mind, and said, "We'll meet when we have a chance. I have something to do, Akina. I'll hang up now."

"Sigh, you're about to hang up? Hiro-kun, is there something urgent? I still have a lot to tell you." Nakamori Akina was unhappy to hear that Kimura Hiro was about to hang up; she still had so much to say.

"Okay, I know, I'll hang up now." After saying that, he hung up the phone, picked up his coat which he had already taken off, put on sunglasses and a mask, left the house, got in his car, and drove off.

Passing by a flower shop, Hiroshi Kimura bought nine roses, then bought some Wagyu beef sushi, and then drove to Akina Nakamori's apartment.

"What? He just hung up on me! Ugh, that annoying Hiro-kun, he didn't even say what he wanted to say." In the apartment, Nakamori Akina was fuming. She still had so much to say, wanting to tell Hiro-kun what she did and ate during her New Year's holiday, but this guy just said he had something to do and hung up the phone. How awful!

With her delicate and sensitive nature, she couldn't help but wonder, "Could it be that I talked too much, which made Hongjun a little annoyed and hang up the phone?"

"I need to find a way to go back to the office tomorrow and meet with Hiro-kun to see what's going on." Nakamori Akina made up her mind, then took off her clothes and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

After drying her hair, she looked at her phone, picked it up again, wanting to call Hiroshi Kimura, but then she was afraid that he might be busy and that calling him would bother him, so she put the phone down again. She went back and forth like this several times.

"Ding-dong, ding-dong." Just then, the doorbell rang. Nakamori Akina, who was hesitating whether to call, was a little surprised to hear the doorbell. Who would be looking for her at this hour? If her manager or assistant needed anything, they would call her in advance.

Quietly approaching the door, I peeked through the peephole and saw Hiroshi Kimura standing there with his hands behind his back, smiling.

"Ah, it's Hiro-kun." Nakamori Akina never expected that Kimura Hiro would appear at her apartment door. So he said he had something to do, but he came directly to her place. Hiro-kun really is romantic; he really knows how to create surprises.

She quickly opened the apartment door, ignoring that she was only wearing pajamas and it was cold outside, and threw herself into Kimura Hiroshi's arms, exclaiming, "Ah, Hiroshi-kun, what brings you here?"

Seeing Akina Nakamori, dressed in only a thin nightgown, rush into his arms, Hiroshi Kimura quickly hugged her and carried her back to his apartment, scolding her, "Don't you know your own body? How could you just run out like that? What if you catch a cold?"

Keep in mind that it's winter now. Although the temperature in Tokyo is still a few degrees above zero due to ocean currents, what kind of body does Akina Nakamori have? Her physical condition is okay, but her resistance is really too poor. Going out in such thin clothes, it's impossible for her not to catch a cold.

"Hehe, I just didn't expect Hiro to come so suddenly. I'm so happy. Besides, it's only been a short while, so I won't catch a cold." Nakamori Akina said happily, hugging Kimura Hiro and refusing to let go.

This put Kimura Hiroshi in a very inconvenient position, as he was holding something in his hands and had someone in his arms. He quickly said, "I know you're happy, so let go of me quickly. I bought you flowers and a late-night snack, do you want some?"

"Where is it?" Upon hearing that Kimura Hiroshi had also bought flowers and gifts, Nakamori Akina quickly let go. Then she saw Kimura Hiroshi holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a lunchbox in the other. She immediately snatched them away, her face full of smiles, her little face scrunched up in a ball.

"Really, you came all this way, why did you bring a gift? It makes me feel so embarrassed." With that, she stood on tiptoe and kissed Kimura Hiroshi on the cheek, then put the lunchbox on the table and went to put the roses in the vase, without showing any embarrassment whatsoever.

Sitting on the sofa, Kimura Hiroshi opened his lunchbox and watched as Nakamori Akina hummed a song as she arranged the flowers, then placed them on the dining table, showing off as she said to him, "How is it, Hiroshi-kun? My flower arrangement is pretty good, isn't it?"

"Hmm, very good. I didn't expect Akina to have flower arranging skills." Kimura Hiro praised. In reality, Nakamori Akina simply put the flowers in the vase and arranged them around the mouth of the vase, but he still praised her. What's wrong with your girlfriend? She asked you, so you just praise her.

"Hehe, I've been learning from Mom for a couple of days. Okay, I'm a little hungry. Let's have a late-night snack." After saying that, she sat down next to Kimura Hiroshi, picked up some sushi, dipped it in soy sauce, and said in a very soft voice, "Hiroshi-kun, come on, open your mouth."

Kimura Hiroshi didn't stand on ceremony; he opened his mouth and ate it in one bite. Then he picked up one and fed it to Nakamori Akina.

The two started playing a feeding game, refusing to eat what they picked up themselves and insisting on eating what the other had picked up. After eating several, Nakamori Akina stopped eating, as she needed to maintain her figure and eating too much for a late-night snack was not an option. Naturally, the rest had to be finished off by Kimura Hiroshi.

Afterwards, the two sat on the sofa and chatted about their experiences after returning home. Nakamori Akina had a very happy time this time. She went to a temple to pray and also helped out at the store. It was clear that she had a perfect vacation.

Naturally, Kimura Hiroshi also mentioned that he had returned home. Upon hearing that Kimura Hiroshi's family already knew about her, Nakamori Akina immediately jumped up from Kimura Hiroshi's arms and asked nervously, "Ah, Hiroshi-kun's family already knows about me? Then, then..."

Seeing Akina Nakamori's nervous expression, Hiroshi Kimura knew that she was worried that her family would have a bad impression of her. Hiroshi Kimura took her hand and said, "It's okay. My family likes Akina very much, and they won't interfere with us now. You don't need to worry. Even if you want to worry, you'll have to wait until the wedding."

But Nakamori Akina didn't relax at all. Instead, she said with a serious expression, "It won't be long, will it?"

Hmm, what does that mean? What do you mean by "not long"? Does that mean she's thinking about getting married? Kimura Hiroshi suddenly realized he'd discovered a huge problem!

Chapter 249 Comic Production Department

After a wonderful night, the two went their separate ways early the next morning, busy with their own things. Akina Nakamori went to various places to film programs and promote her single, while Hiroshi Kimura continued to Warner Music to adjust the arrangement and prepare for the recording of his new single.

It took Kimura Hiroshi four days to complete the recording of this single. "New Treasure Island" is an excellent inspirational song, but it is not very difficult to sing. For Kimura Hiroshi now, recording such a single is indeed very simple.

However, although the single has been recorded, it is not so easy to collaborate with the Checkers and Anzen Chitai bands to shoot a dance music video. Both bands are currently very popular and have a lot of work to do. Although they both want to work with Hiroshi Kimura, it is not easy to find the time. They need to make good arrangements.

This gave Kimura Hiroshi a brief period of free time. Apart from practicing Shin Takarazuka dance, he had free time to go to the film set to learn filmmaking from Kitano Takeshi, and he also had time to handle the affairs of Hegemony.

After nearly four months of construction by her older sister, Kimura Ryo, the basic structure of the current Hegemony Corporation is now complete, with subordinate film and television drama production departments. Because there are currently no connections for television dramas, they can only be temporarily left vacant, but manpower can be drawn from the film department to film them at any time.

The comic book production department has now been established, and even the relevant comic book publishing house has been purchased. They are just waiting for the new comics to be published. As for the novel publishing department, it has been integrated into the comic book publishing house, because novel publishing only requires communication with the publishing house, and there is nothing else to do.

"This is the manga department. There are thirty-seven people in total, including one department head, whom I poached from Shueisha. His name is Hirono Takashi. He's in his thirties, a mid-level manager, and very experienced in manga. Moreover, his manga production skills are also very strong. I paid a lot of money to poach him," Kimura Ryo and Kimura Hiro introduced the department to the manga department.

The film and television production department occupies an entire floor of office space. There's no way around it; they have a lot of people. The comics department and other administrative departments share a floor, but the space isn't small. The office area for more than thirty people is quite spacious.

Looking at his manga department, Hiroshi Kimura noticed that it was mostly filled with young people, and men made up the majority, with only about six or seven young women. These were all young artists with dreams, because if you can't find stable work in the manga industry by middle age, you'll have to change careers.

"Come, come, come, everyone, your real president is here today. Come and meet him, the most popular male idol right now, and your future biggest promoter of manga, Hiroshi Kimura." Upon entering the office area, Ryo Kimura called over all the illustrators present.

Although these artists don't have formal jobs yet, Ryo Kimura can't let them be idle. He keeps them drawing comics, not for publication, but mainly to keep them busy and help them maintain their drawing skills. After all, if you're not familiar with this kind of thing for a while, your skills might deteriorate.

Everyone gathered around, led by Hiroshi Hirono, whom Kimura Ryo had poached from Shueisha. Everyone looked at Kimura Hiro with great curiosity. They all knew that the real boss of this company was the popular idol Kimura Hiro, but they had only seen him from afar before. This was the first time they had come so close to him.

So young, and even more handsome than on TV—that was the first impression of the artists present. Hirono Takashi, a seasoned veteran with many years of experience, adjusted his glasses, stepped forward, and said, "Hello, President, welcome to our work."

"Hello, President." The other young employees quickly followed suit, greeting him one after another.

"Hello everyone, haha, I'm not here to give guidance. I know nothing about comics, so you'll be the ones doing the work from now on. I'm just the one who reviews and approves submissions. Please bear with me if your submissions are rejected in the future," Kimura Hiroshi said jokingly.

But what he said was true, and it was quite harsh, because if he wasn't satisfied with any of these people's work, it would all be rejected. He wouldn't show any mercy, after all, he set up this comics department to make money.

However, everyone present thought that Kimura Hiroshi was joking, and some young people even chuckled along.

Seeing that the atmosphere was good, Kimura Hiroshi continued, "I know that the manga department has been established for almost two months, but we haven't officially started a manga yet. So, I would like to hear everyone's opinions. Do you have any ideas? If anyone's opinion is adopted, the reward will be substantial. Moreover, this will be our first work for Wit Studio, so you should seize this opportunity."

These words caused everyone present to gasp for breath. There was no way around it; they were all young people, and who wouldn't want to publish their own comic? It wasn't just about money; it was their dream. Everyone who drew comics wanted their work to be loved by the public.

"President, I have an idea."

"President, I have one too, I have one too."

People present spoke up one after another, expressing their ideas. Kimura Hiroshi listened to them all without reservation. However, these people's ideas were either based on existing works or were simply far-fetched.

Until a somewhat frail female illustrator looked at Hiroshi Kimura, her face slightly flushed, and said with a hint of nervousness, "President, I think we can produce a story set in a school, about a few handsome young men and a somewhat ordinary girl."

Hmm? Kimura Hiroshi looked at the young female artist. He had to admit, her idea was quite clever. It was a typical trope from later idol dramas, very popular with young women. He asked, "Why do you have such an idea?"

"Ah, President, it's like this, I'm also a fan of the president. I often fantasize that one day the president would pursue me, but I know it's just a fantasy. I think many girls have this thought. If it were made concrete, it would probably be popular with many young girls, which is exactly the president's fan base."

At this point, the young female artist blushed even more, turning her head away and not daring to look at Kimura Hiroshi. The other artists who heard her say this chuckled, thinking that her idea was far too naive.

"I didn't expect someone to have grasped the psychology of young women so early on. This young female artist is really something," Kimura Hiroshi asked. "What's your name?"

Unexpectedly, Kimura Hiroshi asked her name. The young female illustrator trembled slightly, suppressing her excitement as she said, "President, my name is Kamio Yoko. I'm an illustrator who just graduated this year. Please forgive me if I've said anything wrong."

"Yoko Kamio?" Hiroshi Kimura was stunned. Yoko Kamio, the author of Boys Over Flowers, had actually come under his wing. Sure enough, many things had changed.

Boys Over Flowers is a long-running shoujo manga that has sold over 59 million copies. Many people may not know this manga, but the super popular idol drama "Meteor Garden" adapted from it is an unforgettable memory for many young people born in the 80s and 90s in Asia.

"Hi, is there a problem, President?" Kamio Yoko asked somewhat flusteredly when she heard Kimura Hiro call out her name in surprise.

Shaking his head, Kimura Hiroshi said, "It's nothing. Your name is good, and your idea is good too. Draw the first draft and give it to me for review. If I'm satisfied, then the first comic published by our comic magazine will be yours."

There was no other way. Given Kimura Hiroshi's status, publishing a manga with a lot of explicit and violent content would definitely be met with fierce criticism from the media. So, he had to find another way and publish a shoujo manga. Fortunately, most of his fans are women, and this manga can create a fantasy for them. Moreover, if they like it, it will definitely attract more young women, and then the manga will have a solid foundation for becoming a hit.

Unexpectedly, her idea was adopted. Yoko Kamio was somewhat incredulous. Finally, she mustered up the courage to look at Hiroshi Kimura, only to be greeted with a smile from him.

"Draw well. If I'm not satisfied, I'll reject the drawing," Kimura Hiroshi said as a final word of encouragement.

"I, I will, thank you, President," Yoko Kamio said excitedly.

Everyone around was stunned. Such a naive idea had actually been adopted. It was far too childish. Hirono Takashi wanted to stand up and object, but when he saw Kimura Ryo shake his head at him, he instantly understood.

The president came to assign tasks for the first time and even adopted his suggestions, so it was really stupid of him to stand up and object. This was damaging the president's authority. Even if the president made a major mistake the first time, he couldn't say anything. As the department head, he needed support, not stupid opposition.

"Alright, everyone, it's not like you're all without hope. You can also submit your ideas as first drafts. If I'm satisfied, I'll allow it to be published. However, I have a task for you now, which is my concept. This comic will be released in conjunction with my new movie, so I hope you'll put your heart into it. It's a story about a shooting star that causes two young people to travel through time and space."

He told the artists his ideas and character requirements, and then handed over the actual production task to them. After all, Kimura Hiroshi couldn't draw, so he could only express his ideas.

The manga department finally got their first official jobs. After encouraging them, Kimura Hiroshi left with Kimura Ryo. Just as they reached the administration department, Matsumoto Takaaki came over and said, "President, Vice President, Toho called and asked you to go to Toho tomorrow. They have something to discuss."

Chapter 250 The film's revenue was 2.7 billion yen.

As an important partner of Toho, Kimura Hiroshi arrived at Toho's office building and, after identifying himself, was immediately greeted by relevant staff who then took him to Fukada Yuya's office instead of waiting in the conference room.

He is now visiting Toho as the president of Hegemony Corporation, so he is accompanied only by his own company's staff. Ken-On's staff will not be coming with him. He went to Yuya Fukada's office, while the others waited outside.

"Ah, Kimura-san, you've arrived. Please have a seat. Go and pour Kimura-san a cup of tea, light tea. He doesn't like strong tea, understand?" Seeing Kimura Hiroshi arrive, Fukada Isamu was also very happy. He quickly invited Kimura Hiroshi to sit down and asked the staff member who brought Kimura Hiroshi to pour tea, explaining his preferences. It was clear that he valued Kimura Hiroshi.

Sitting down on the sofa, Kimura Hiroshi said with a smile, "I didn't expect Fukada-san to remember my preferences. It's really unexpected. By the way, what important thing did Fukada-san want to tell me in such a hurry? Let me guess, it's about the movie's box office, right?"

"Haha, you really can't hide it from Kimura-san. That's right, it's about the movie's box office. The box office figures for both overseas and domestic markets were all tallied a couple of days ago, and we've already received most of the payments."

"Kimura-san is an important partner of our Toho. Once the payment arrives, we will naturally settle the money with you first, as I promised Kimura-san beforehand." Fukada Yuya said with a smile. He was naturally very happy that the box office revenue share had been received, as it was all thanks to his efforts.

That's right. Kimura Hiroshi was naturally overjoyed, since he was going to get more money. As someone who loves money, there was no reason for him to be unhappy. So he sat up and asked, "So, I wonder what the total box office of 'Léon: The Professional' was, and how much of it I'll get?"

Speaking of box office, Yuya Fukada's eyes lit up, and he straightened up, trying to get closer to Hiroshi Kimura, and said, "Kimura-san has given me a huge surprise this time. As for the box office, the final domestic box office is 6.34 billion yen, while the international box office is over 67 million US dollars."

According to the previously agreed revenue-sharing agreement, Kimura-san will receive 26% of the domestic box office revenue, which is 1.648 billion yen. From this one film alone, Kimura-san, you've made a fortune! It's truly enviable.

Yuya Fukada knew about the investment in this film, which was about 120 million yen. In other words, this investment had increased about fifteen times in just one year and a half, which was an investment that was absolutely incredibly profitable. And that wasn't all, because there was also overseas box office revenue, which naturally made Yuya Fukada a little envious.