I’m a male member. When a woman asks on the first date, “How long have you been a member?” “How many women have you made offers to before me?” or “Are there several women you’re seeing on an ongoing basis?”—how do you usually answer?

I’m Meg, a female member. At this point, it feels like you’re the interviewer… Didn’t you feel like you were the one being screened? I swear, I’d never ask such boring questions. Though… I am curious too!

I’m Date◎Yume, a male member. There was no reason to hide it, so I answered honestly. Since it’s still at an early stage, I think they were simply curious about what kind of relationships people have. Based on what they learned from me, I think they’re considering how they want to pursue their own relationship.

I’m Paper Airplane, a male member. I generally make offers to girls who have only been members for a few days, so I’ve hardly ever been asked about it. Since I was still relatively new, I would usually mention when I joined myself. But maybe that period is starting to pass, because lately girls have begun asking me about everything—when they have setting dates scheduled, how many offers they receive each day, what the men were like, and so on. Naturally, I’ve also started talking about my own situation, such as how many girls I’m still seeing. Maybe it’s just her, but… could it be a strange sense of familiarity?

I’m Basil, a male member. These are all questions that women who are used to this often ask. I don’t tell outright lies, but I tend to be a little vague, saying whatever comes to mind at the time. If you think about it calmly, I feel it’s fine to answer honestly unless she’s genuinely inexperienced. Especially with women who are accustomed to this, the purpose of asking is to assess you, so it might actually be best to give the impression that you’re at least as experienced as they are. That said, I still can’t quite shake the mindset I have from ordinary dating, so I end up trying to present myself as though I’m unattached. For example: >How long have you been a member? → In reality, it’s been just under three years, and it’s probably shown on my profile, so I answer relatively honestly: “About two and a half years, I guess.” >How many people have received offers before me? → I don’t remember the exact number, but averaging about one a month, it’s probably a little over thirty, plus events and online meetings. Still, I say, “I’ve been doing this for a while, so it’s definitely in the double digits.” >Are there any women you’re currently seeing on an ongoing basis? → In reality, there usually is someone, but I say, “Of course, there have been a few over the years, but at the moment… maybe there is, maybe there isn’t. I’m looking for someone I can take my time getting to know and build a good relationship with.”

I’m Flag Maker, a column writer. These days, I answer everything honestly. Just the other day, someone I’d gone on a date with asked me questions like these, and I answered every one honestly. Q: How many women have you offered to meet? A: Around 15. Q: How many are you still seeing? A: One. Q: Why didn’t things continue with the others? A: My schedule got too packed, and I suddenly couldn’t be bothered. At one point, I turned down continuing with all of them. Q: Why did you join a dating club? A: I was partly curious. Q: Wasn’t there anyone you liked among the women you offered to meet? A: No. And I never will like anyone that way. Q: Then why did you offer to meet me? LOL A: You’d been on my “favorites” list for about a year, so I started wondering about you… “You’re late! LOL You left me there way too long! If you were curious, you should’ve offered to meet me sooner! LOL” That’s basically how it went. The woman also told me about her other papas and all kinds of incidents, so I enjoyed the conversation for what it was. LOL She’s honest with every papa about herself, including the existence of other papas. Even with that papa-katsu style, she only meets the men who still like her and want to see her. And she actually has quite a few fans—papas—of her own. She was a strong, tough, and entertaining woman. LOL As for the woman’s psychology, I think it comes down to something like this: 1. She wants to talk about papa-katsu. She’s curious what other women in papa-katsu are like. 2. She adjusts her act based on the other person’s answers so he’ll like her. 3. She gauges whether the other person’s dating style suits her, how many rivals she has competing for his allowance, and roughly how much he budgets per month for these relationships.

I’m Rin, a female member. When I’m asked when and why I joined, I’ll answer and then ask when the gentleman joined, but I don’t ask questions like the one you mentioned on my own. I’m not very confident in myself, so I know that asking would only affect me negatively emotionally. Sorry this doesn’t really answer your question.

This is Maezawa from the Corporate Planning Office. I haven’t heard of that particular situation before, so this is just speculation, but perhaps: ① The woman has been registered with Univa for a long time and is experienced, while the man has only recently joined, so she’s asking because she feels she’ll have to take the lead or things could become troublesome. For example, if the man is new and asks, “Where should we go?” she might answer, “Let’s go here.” But if he’s a veteran, she might say, “I’ll leave it up to you.” I’ve actually heard stories of women teaching men various etiquette, too. (Though I do wonder, “What kind of etiquette?” …and sometimes the woman ends up scolding us, haha.) ② She may simply have a more traditionally masculine way of thinking and be asking in the same way a man would ask a woman. Those are my guesses. What do you think?