I joined the club because I was tired of serious relationships. Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on your company’s steadily rising, seemingly limitless success.

Kida, our representative, will answer. It’s not so much that our performance has been improving. Rather, we’ve kept adding staff because we’ve been scrambling to keep up with the ever-increasing number of women coming in for interviews. We haven’t had the courage to step away from this game of chicken, and now we’re shaking in fear at the ¥40 million in personnel costs we incur every month… It’s been three years since I first started thinking that, now that we’ve grown so large, we needed to return to our roots and focus on genuine matchmaking. This time, I was finally called out on it. I don’t have the skills to run a company without pursuing profits, so there’s that. But right now, Universe is like a potted plant that has completely outgrown its pot. Its roots have filled every inch of the pot and are spilling out through the drainage holes below in search of oxygen and water. No matter how much we nurture it, it can’t grow any larger under these conditions. Ideally, once a plant has filled about 70% of its pot, it should be moved into a larger one. Any plants that can be divided should also be split into separate plants and pots. The current Universe is like a healthy Japanese ash tree, spreading its leaves energetically toward the sun. But the unseen roots are struggling inside a cramped pot. We’re in the process of moving into Salesforce, a considerably larger pot—or perhaps planting ourselves in the ground. Once that’s complete, the day will come when our staff can devote themselves to the matchmaking work they originally wanted to do. Does “gallagalla pon” mean something like wiping the slate clean and starting over? I guess that’s something we’re pretty good at…

Let me jump in here—Maezawa will answer. > Couldn’t you provide genuine matchmaking services? Thank you for your feedback. Our new branch carefully screens and selects both male and female members based on suitability. We’re extremely selective—only around 5% of women who attend an interview are accepted. Men are also carefully screened: they must earn at least ¥40 million a year, and we additionally assess their appearance, conversational style, and overall demeanor. There’s a limit to the number of male members, and no one can join once that capacity has been reached. It seems there are still a few spots left before we hit the limit. (Once the limit is reached, new members won’t be accepted until an existing member leaves.) If you live in the Kanto area or visit frequently, joining the new branch may make it possible to provide the kind of matchmaking you’re looking for. If you’re wondering what “the new branch” is, ask the Universe staff. They should be able to connect you with the staff there.