After 30 years as a salaryman, I withdrew the ¥10 million time deposit I’d kept hidden from my wife and joined a dating club, but I’m happy to say I used it all up in my 29th month. Since this was something I did so I wouldn’t leave regrets in life, I have no regrets. It’s been a life worth living. I’d also love to hear a few words from the representative. Would that be possible?

Maezawa will answer as well. “I have no regrets about my life.” So you really were doing this just so you could say those words. If you’re satisfied, then I have nothing more to say. Thank you for everything. ...I was writing that when the representative posted, “There’s no way I could have no regrets!!” (It originally started with “Maezawa will answer before the representative does,” but I revised it.) Now that you mention it, that’s true... A 30-year career as a salaryman would put you at around 52, after all. You still have an income, and it seems like you could continue if you wanted to. At this point, I’m not sure whether to say “you still have plenty of time” or “thank you for everything,” but I could tell that registering with Universe Club allowed you to enjoy some wonderful experiences. Thank you.

Thank you for your question. I’ll answer as Kida, the representative. I read your story with deep emotion, reminded once again of how many different lives there are. - Age 22: Started working - Age 27: Got married - Age 26: Started putting ¥30,000 a month into a secret savings account - Age 53: Saved up ¥10 million - Age 53: Cashed out the ¥10 million time deposit   Spent ¥340,000 a month—or ¥50,000 a week—on dating - Age 55: Now, having spent it all, this is where you are I worked backward from the numbers and imagined a story on my own. Though I doubt you actually saved money in such a stingy way. My honest reaction is that I can only say: “I have regrets.” You spent every penny you had desperately saved at a dating club, and now you’re saying, “No regrets in life! It was a life worth living! Goodbye!” Hey! Don’t dieーーーーー!! It’s okay. You can live without using a dating club, and you can still lead a life without regrets. Don’t do anything rash! That said, and I mean no disrespect, I honestly can’t imagine what your life has been like. After graduating from college, I spent ten years vaguely pursuing a career in music without getting a job. Then I became a salaryman and did that for fifteen years. The period from graduating college to becoming a salaryman was hell. From becoming a salaryman to where I am now has been paradise. From your writing, I get the impression that you’re thinking: “I put up with a completely miserable job for 30 years because I had no choice. I didn’t want to die without doing something with my life, so I used the money I’d painstakingly saved to add some color to it. I have no regrets.” But honestly, I don’t find that very impressive. There’s no way you wouldn’t have regrets after spending a mere ¥10 million on women. Shouldn’t a dating club be a place where you spend ¥10 million, then go out and make ¥100 million? I feel frustrated at how inadequate I’ve been in my own work. You’re in your fifties, still in the prime of your working life and able to get it up whenever you want. I don’t want to hear comments like, “It became a life worth living”—as if you already have one foot in the grave. There’s more I’d like to say, so I’ll continue later.