Hello. The other day, while speaking with a branch staff member, I realized that it’s been five years since I registered.

I’ve been doing papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) for five years, and I’m about to enter my sixth. So far, I’ve met three women. The first ended things two or three days after we met, saying something that made no sense, and then she quit papa-katsu altogether. I’ve mentioned the second woman several times in this anonymous papa-katsu Q&A. After taking a bath, one of us headed to the bed while the other put her panties back on and got ready to leave.（笑） The third was the only one with whom things progressed to an adult relationship (intimate)—a plain, 40-plus-years-younger woman（笑）. We’ve been seeing each other for four years now, and it’s still going strong with no sign of ending（笑） All three are memorable in their own ways, but the second woman was especially unforgettable. I’d never experienced going to a hotel with someone and then simply leaving, so it was a very valuable experience. Sometimes I wonder whether we might still be seeing each other if things had progressed to an adult relationship. In that sense, I occasionally feel it was unfortunate for both me and her.

People in their 50s probably still have the luxury of dwelling on the past. Once you’re over 60, you don’t have time for that anymore. There’s no future, either. You just give everything you have to the present. When I was a little younger, I used to think that the experiences I’m having now would make wonderful memories someday. But lately, I’ve started to realize that after I eventually retire from this lifestyle, there probably won’t be much of it that I’ll remember. It’s a lonely thought, but that’s the truth. That’s why I truly feel how precious and important this very moment is. Maybe you’ll understand if I say it’s like someone who will eventually lose their sight wanting to burn beautiful scenery into their memory while they still can. PS If anything does stay with me, it’ll probably be the occasional late-night trips to the supermarket with the girls to buy everyday necessities and snacks. We’d walk around looking up at the night sky while I listened to them talk about past traumas, current anxieties, hopes for the future, and all kinds of other things. Those memories might remain as happy ones even after my sex drive is gone. I believe they’ll stay with the girls too. I once drove to pick up a college girl who had decided to leave home because of problems with her family. She was standing there in the rain, soaked, with bags in both hands. I took her to an apartment I had rented in my name. She’s since changed the lease into her own name and is living independently, paying the rent with her part-time job. Another time, the daughter of a woman living alone called me in tears after getting into an accident in her company car, so another girl who was on a date with me and I took a taxi for an hour to go pick her up. It was drizzling that night too. I also remember celebrating the birthday of a college girl who had been neglected by her parents and had been working part-time and paying her own tuition since high school. Another girl and I bought a small cake, sang “Happy Birthday to You,” and celebrated with her. Flame-san often writes about singing as a gag, but that really felt like the song itself was the present. If I’m going to remember anything, it’ll be things like that. I’ve had all kinds of encounters and sex, but the pleasure from those moments only existed at the time. They aren’t the kind of things you can really reminisce about. That’s what makes them so fleeting. While you still have a sex drive, those memories may be useful as mental fuel, so to speak. But when the desire is finally gone, what remains inside you are ultimately just memories of human connection.

I’m in my second year. Since I’ve only ever parted ways with one girl through the club, she’s the only one I have memories of there; everyone else is still in my life. The girl I first entered a long-term relationship with outside the club is more memorable to me. Lately, I’ve started to feel like I might not be around much longer, though I could end up staying for quite a while. I really don’t know yet.

I’ve been registered for three years. Lately, my relationships with the women I’m seeing have become more long-term, so I’ve been getting far fewer new offers. Even so, the women who still stand out most in my memories are the ones things didn’t work out with and whom I ended up parting ways with. Two women I thought were great, but never made it to an adult relationship (intimate) with, and two women I did become intimate with and personally felt I was very compatible with, only for things to suddenly end. I guess that’s what you call lingering feelings, haha.

I’ve been doing this for six years, but the girl I met for the first time still left the strongest impression on me. I’ve met plenty of women who were more attractive, but she shaped my personal approach to dating clubs—from how to invite someone out initially and how much allowance to offer, to the length and nature of our dates, condoms, and even how to end things or reconnect later. That approach has become my standard ever since.

I’m now in my third year since signing up. I have plenty of good memories, and they’re still piling up. Recently, I was complimented by different women for being good in bed, with each of them pointing out the same things. Maybe I’ve improved my skills—that was a particularly nice memory.