Mr. Maezawa,

I’m Saito, a column writer ♪ As the questioner said: “I simply felt uneasy about the fact that a certain amount seems to have become the accepted norm on this site.” I think that’s a fair way to put it. If the amount is fixed, women may feel anxious. Mac’s opinion isn’t the be-all and end-all—it’s just one perspective, so I hope you’ll keep that in mind. I know people offering allowances in the ¥1 million range, as well as ¥10 million or more. Please rest assured.

I’m Meg, a female member. I don’t think you need to feel alarmed. I imagine you must be a wonderful person. You’ve been lucky to meet so many wonderful women. (*^^*)

I’m Kamihikoki, a male member. Reading the questions here also made me realize that I’m poor myself. I think it’s very important to see yourself as poor. A long time ago, I read an article saying that you’re not truly rich unless you have around 19 billion yen in assets. Ever since then, I’ve tried to live with the mindset that I’m still poor. I remember being really impressed when pitcher Masahiro Tanaka said in an interview, after finishing a season undefeated, that he was still a long way from being good enough. This is somewhat unrelated, but I think women would also be happy to meet someone who considers himself poor even with an annual income of 300 million yen, or someone who approaches things with humility. A club that can provide wonderful encounters like the one you had must be like a magical treasure box. With an ordinary encounter, just receiving an allowance would be surprising enough. Even your amount would make someone’s eyes pop out... But since it’s a magical treasure box, the instant results it provides are incredibly valuable.

I’m Date◎Yume, a male member. It’s difficult to say exactly how much the allowance should be, but broadly speaking, I think it’s fine as long as both sides are comfortable within their limits: the person paying gives what they can afford, and the person receiving accepts only what they feel is fair. Neither side can keep things going if they go beyond their limits...

A lost 60-something here. If she can sense your sincerity, I’m sure she’ll continue seeing you without saying anything. If she doesn’t like the allowance, she’ll simply move on—but that’s okay, isn’t it? When that happens, just move on to the next one... By the way—not that I’m bragging—but I had zero takers for my first offer... I really didn’t know anything back then... lol Even among the women I see regularly, some say, “I’d be okay with lowering the allowance.” There are all kinds of people and situations... Let’s hold our heads high and keep going!

Maezawa from the Corporate Planning Office here as well. Many women who register with Universe are hoping to meet men they normally wouldn’t have the chance to meet—men who have the financial leeway to offer an allowance that’s different from what they’d get through a dating app. That’s why they’re willing to come in for an interview even though registering takes some effort, and it’s also why so many wonderful women come to register. If you have the financial leeway, I think you might get a better sense of things by asking the woman what amount she hopes for. That said, basically, as long as both of you are happy with the terms and can enjoy your time together, I don’t think there’s a problem. Incidentally, 5 isn’t necessarily the standard. There are plenty of women receiving 7 or even 10. Some women receive 60 per month. I’ve even heard of someone offering 500,000 yen for a first meeting with a virgin. However, women also understand that the more they receive, the greater the man’s expectations may become. So if they feel they can’t meet those expectations, they’ll probably say, “I can’t accept that much.” I don’t know whether there are any such men at Universe, but apparently some men take out a bundle of bills with a red band around it and ask, “Would you like to enter into an arrangement with me for this?” “What? A red band?” That made me curious, so I looked it up. Apparently, bundles totaling 10 million yen have a red band around them. Or is that different from the bands used for 1-million-yen bundles? Wouldn’t ten 1-million-yen bundles make 10 million yen? I wondered about that, but when I searched on YouTube, I found people showing bundles with purple bands labeled as 10 million yen. So apparently, 10-million-yen bundles have purple bands. Perhaps those purple bands can actually look red in person. In any case, I’ve never seen a bundle of 10 million yen. I wonder what would happen if someone put one right in front of you and tried to negotiate with it.

I’m a male member based in Seattle. If she doesn’t seem to be getting any other offers, 3 is better than zero. Just don’t change your attitude based on the amount—treat her well. My first offer was 3, but we’re on a monthly arrangement now. She’s my absolute favorite.