Dear Mr. Kida:

I’m sorry for causing you trouble over Mr. Tajima. I feel terrible for putting Mr. Tajima through that. (Mr. Tajima was suddenly thrown into the middle of a crisis... I’m truly sorry m(_ _)m) I’m personally very happy that you feel the question box “really has incredible power.” From the very beginning, I thought, “This could become Universe’s biggest attraction—a powerful feature that could pull us even further ahead of the other clubs,” so I enthusiastically (and unsolicitedly) worked to improve it from the questioner’s side. To keep it active, I sometimes deliberately “dropped fuel on the fire,” so to speak. (Although sometimes the “fuel” I dropped in hopes of sparking lively discussion completely fizzled, while an entirely ordinary, simple question would suddenly “catch fire.” Things rarely went as planned.) Personally, I’ve been conceited enough to think of myself as the unsung contributor who helped build it to the point where you could feel that it “really has incredible power.” (As I’ll explain below, I sadly realize now that this was nothing more than vanity and self-indulgence...) From now on, I won’t be “dropping” anything anymore, so please don’t be disappointed even if the number of questions drops dramatically. (It should decrease by about half.) Looking back, I’ve come to appreciate anew just how remarkable Mr. Maezawa’s management skills were. I sincerely hope this becomes a place that continues to increase its “incredible power.” Please solidify your position at the top of the industry. Once again, I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused. Thank you so much for everything over all these years. m(_ _)m To everyone in the question box: I’m deeply discouraged to see that the piece I wrote thinking of it as my “final piece for Universe” https://universe-club.jp/help/questions/view/3495 has apparently failed to get through to almost anyone. I had no idea my lack of writing ability, and my tendency to make everything so self-centered, were this bad...(^_^;) As a writer, I’m simply no good. There’s no getting around it. I’ve realized that, in fact, I didn’t even have the qualifications to ask questions. In my shock, I’m going to expose myself to one last spectacular round of embarrassment (I hope this really can be my “last” time) before I go. Mac: “‘Onji’—A-san has written that about me before, but I wonder if it’s actually a word everyone uses? (lol)” Um, Onji, I’m embarrassed that I wrote something so unclear (it really is embarrassing, but I’ll expose myself anyway): I’m “A-san” himself, lol. ← Though perhaps this isn’t a laughing matter (^_^;) “It’s possible to read it as saying that the questioner has multiple personalities, and one of them died by suicide at Tojinbo. If so, it makes for pretty compelling reading.” Um, what I was trying to say in my clumsy little “essay” was that the online persona “A” had fallen apart, and that I was bringing it to an end (^_^;) I fancied that I had written it fairly well, with some aspirations toward “online literature,” but apparently it got through to absolutely no one. As Paper Airplane aptly put it, I was simply “too absorbed in myself.” I was devastated by my lack of writing ability. I think that when Mac once told me, “A-san, you should write a column too,” I replied, “No, I’m not the kind of person who can move into that role. I know my place.” But I’m really feeling the truth of that now... That said, I had actually assumed (entirely on my own) that Mac might have vaguely realized that the person posting repeatedly was《A》, and was continuing to engage with me anyway. I wrote while feeling as though I could rely on your generosity, in a way. It’s embarrassing, but I wanted to confess that. But... did you really not notice at all? (Was this yet another example of my vanity and self-absorption—that you would realize it was me?) This one too https://universe-club.jp/help/questions/view/3481 completely failed to get across, but it expressed how I truly felt. It’s deeply regrettable that my final interaction with you ended with you even calling me a “criminal,” though I know I brought it upon myself. I sincerely apologize once again for making you uncomfortable. m(_ _)m Papua: You wrote, “It’s a bad habit of yours to start prank messages with ‘Dear so-and-so:’” but I’m sorry—that wasn’t a “prank message.” I was completely serious. (I believe that, so far, I’m the only one who uses this “:” after the addressee.) I was so disappointed that my extreme self-centeredness had made everything completely incomprehensible that I felt like sinking straight into the ground (lol). Long before you joined, I was a regular commenter on Mac’s columns, and Mac himself once kindly described me as “someone like a benefactor who helped nurture me as a columnist through countless outstanding comments” (I’m quoting from memory). I’m an old member who disappeared from the columns before you appeared, so of course you wouldn’t know me. But if you read the comment sections of Mac’s early columns, you’ll see what the man once called a “benefactor” was like. If you have time, please take a look and be appalled m(_ _)m Finally, Joe: Thank you so much for posting several columns addressed to me back then. As you know, the timing was bad, and although I agonized over it, I ultimately failed to respond. I was rude, and now I regret missing that opportunity. I should have simply set aside my pointless self-restraint and started commenting honestly again. My exchanges with you were the best thing I gained from Universe. I’m deeply disappointed in myself for failing to make the most of them. (Please say hello to Sakura-chan for me.)