Has anyone ever told you they were quitting papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) and ending things with you—not because they got married or found a boyfriend, but because they were financially secure enough to stop?

I’m Flagmaker, a column writer. There was one woman who ended our adult relationship for that reason and chose to remain friends instead.

I’m Taro, a male member. Are you asking whether, after seeing a woman for long enough that her financial situation improves to some extent, you eventually stop seeing her once she’s financially okay? In my experience, no. If we’ve been seeing each other for that long, things generally continue in one way or another afterward. Once, I met a woman who had clearly started seeing me because she was in serious financial difficulty. We calculated the amount she needed based on the pay-per-meeting allowance and saw each other for a set number of meetings. When I thought it was about time to end things, she said she needed more and asked to extend it. The next time I thought it might be ending, I asked her, “Once your financial problems are resolved, do you think we’ll stop seeing each other?” She replied, “Maybe we can keep seeing each other—and maybe I’ll want to.” After that, we continued for quite a long time. That said, there may have been women I only saw once or twice who did stop seeing me for that reason.