I’m a man in my 60s, still trying to find my way.
I joined Universe Club after turning 60.
I’d known for years that there were clubs that introduced people to kept partners, but they seemed shady, so I never took the plunge.
From my late 30s onward, I found partners on my own—students, women working in the adult entertainment industry, a food researcher, a flight attendant, a secretary, a jazz singer, and so on—and continued these relationships. Just when I was thinking that turning 60 would be a good time to retire from it all, I discovered Universe Club.
That uncertain feeling of wondering, “When will I finally leave this world behind?” is what inspired my username.
I’m Date◎Yume, a male member.
I’m a rice person, so I’ve been trying different varieties to find some really good rice.
I recently came across a variety from Miyagi Prefecture called “Date Masayume,” and I’ve been thinking, “Wow, this is delicious!”
Its slightly chewy, pleasantly sticky texture reminds me a bit of the patience and perseverance required in a relationship.
Because of trademark issues, I’ve borrowed the name with a slight alteration.
I’m Flag Maker, the column writer.
At first, I always answered as “New Member in My 30s.” Partway through, I realized everyone else was using a handle, but I was too embarrassed to switch to one halfway through.
One of the reasons I applied to become a column writer was that I wanted to answer under a simple handle rather than “New Member in My 30s.” Column writers are required to have one.
As for how I came up with “Flag Maker”: A junior colleague once asked me for relationship advice, and I told them:
“If you don’t have the courage to confess all at once, set up a flag that leads to the next step. Something that lets you say later, ‘When I said ○○ before, it was because I’d already started to like you around then,’ or ‘I did ○○ back then because you’d already become important to me.’ I’ve set up flags like this in the past and eventually paid them off like that… And more recently, I’ve set up this kind of flag, and I’m planning to pay it off this way…”
After hearing that, they said:
“You’re a flag maker, senpai, aren’t you? (laughs)”
That’s where the name came from.
*Here, “flag” refers to a term used in movies, dramas, manga, anime, games, and other stories for something that later leads to a specific development or situation. It’s basically synonymous with “foreshadowing.”*
I also like pro wrestling, so I thought “Flag Maker” sounded similar to Kazuchika Okada’s “Rainmaker,” and I liked the sound of it.
One thing I don’t want anyone to misunderstand, though, is that there’s actually a mountain of flags behind me that I never managed to pay off. (laughs)
P.S. Romane-san,
I was at the venue for 1.5 too. I was overwhelmingly rooting for Naito in the main event and cried tears of joy. I’ve been watching pro wrestling for 25 years, so quite a long time.
I love saying things like “Eeeevil!” or “Eeeviiil… ah…” along with EVIL’s finishing move, “EVIL.” (laughs) I want an EVIL glow stick.
By the way, the original inspiration for “gap-filling stick” in the column was Director Taguchi. Sorry for getting excited and going off on a tangent…
