A man’s invitations have gradually decreased—from three times a month at first, to twice the following month, and then once a month after that. Now, he still hasn’t invited me out this month.

I’m Saito, the column writer♪ It’s natural to be curious about all sorts of things. Instead of blocking them, why not simply hide them? That alone may be enough to put your mind at ease.

I’m a male member, Basil. Based on my own experience, something similar happens with women I’m not particularly interested in but still want to keep in touch with. If she doesn’t contact me, I don’t contact her either, and things naturally fade out. If she does reach out, I won’t go out of my way to make time, but I’ll meet her if our schedules happen to work out. That’s how it usually goes. Men gradually lose interest—not just me—but someone who can be kept as a convenient second option is still valuable to some extent, so I won’t ignore her if she contacts me. If she doesn’t reach out, things will eventually end even without blocking her on LINE. Unlike me, this man may have his own circumstances, or he may change his mind. Unless you absolutely can’t stand being left in this situation, I think it’s probably best not to block him on LINE and to contact him occasionally to keep the connection until you find someone better.

I’m だて◎ゆめ, a male member. I understand how you feel. In this case, wouldn’t it be best to think of him as someone you’re keeping in reserve? You could wait for him to contact you, or perhaps you could invite him yourself. As 前澤さん mentioned, if you invite him and he agrees to meet, he probably doesn’t dislike you. And if he reaches out to invite you, I’d say he’s thinking about you too. People who belong to dating clubs are looking to meet wonderful people—both men and women. On top of that, our instinct to find a mate and have children makes things even more complicated, since people tend to move on from one person to the next. They’re always wondering, “Maybe there’s someone even better,” or “I wonder what this person is like,” and so they keep looking for new encounters. That makes it difficult for relationships to settle into a stable place. Even so, there are men who maintain monthly arrangements, so if you happen to meet someone like that, I think your relationship will become more stable. Let’s both keep doing our best.

Maezawa from the Corporate Planning Office here. I can’t speak for all women, but I think you should feel free to invite him more often. I doubt there are many men who dislike being asked out. Even if they weren’t actively planning to meet, they may still agree when invited. Of course, if he really doesn’t want to meet, he’ll probably keep saying he’s busy, so I think you’ll be able to tell. If you don’t like initiating, you can always look for someone new. But if you’re okay with asking him yourself, I think simply saying, “When can we meet next?” is fine. Even if he wonders, “Has she run out of money?” there’s still a good chance he’ll suggest a date to meet.