This is Mac, one of the respondents. I’ve been thinking about the definition of a “gentleman.”

Here I am again with my reliably late take. No matter what Maezawa-chan says, it seems entirely fair to say that anyone registered with Universe Club isn’t exactly a gentleman. That said, Mac’s question is a fun bit of wordplay, so I’ll rack my nonexistent brains. Mac’s suggestion—“a man who gets rejected forfeits his gentleman status”—is pretty good. But that doesn’t leave much room for fun, so how about restoring his gentleman status after five consecutive successes (intercourse)? And maybe celebrating his reinstatement by cutting the offer fee in half. What do you think, Maezawa-chan? The word—or rather, the concept—of a gentleman probably came from Europe. I don’t know, though. If so, the European version of a gentleman was probably all about fighting ability. And if that’s the case, a Universe-style gentleman must be judged by his manhood. Which means Joe is unlikely to qualify as a gentleman in any sense of the word. Nevertheless—or perhaps precisely because of that—I’m off to bury my face in an F-cup woman from Edo. Begging your pardon.

I’m a BB7 male member. I don’t want this to come across as bragging, but I’ve never been turned down when inviting a Type C woman on the first meeting. That doesn’t mean I consider myself a gentleman at all. Compared with the genuinely gentlemanly guys out there, I’m undoubtedly a lowlife, lousy fake gentleman. I’m not really sure how to define a gentleman, but there’s one thing I just can’t accept: I once met a Type B woman who believed that inviting a Type B woman on the first meeting meant you weren’t a gentleman, while not inviting her did. Even with a Type B, if I like her, I’ll invite her on the first meeting. If I don’t like her, I won’t. And of course, if she turns me down, I don’t insult her or keep pressuring her. But is it really so wrong just to ask? To me, it simply means I liked her that much. Being told I’m not a gentleman just because I asked is pretty frustrating. That said, since I really am a lowlife fake gentleman, I suppose it doesn’t matter anyway.（笑）

I’m Rin, a female member. Someone who can always keep themselves in check, no matter the circumstances, and who doesn’t shift the blame onto others.

I’m Maezawa from the CEO’s office, and I’ll answer this too. You may have forgotten, but the membership policy says: https://universe-club.jp/men/membershippolicy/ “Membership is limited to gentlemanly men who have the emotional and financial means to do so.” In other words, only gentlemanly men can become members, so everyone who is currently a member was considered a gentlemanly man at the time they joined. (Mac seems to have written “renouncing my gentleman status” with this premise in mind.) Even among gentlemanly men, the success rate is said to be 50%, so if being turned down by C meant someone wasn’t gentlemanly, things would get rather complicated. For example, suppose someone was turned down by the second woman but then accepted by the next eight. That would mean they were rejected only once out of ten times—a 90% success rate, with just one rejection (10%). Despite being well above the original 50% benchmark, would that mean they’re not a gentleman? Compatibility matters too, so even a gentleman may be turned down based on a woman’s preferences or how well they click. That makes this a difficult standard to judge by. Personally, I feel that someone who has never received a single negative report from a woman is probably a gentleman. The club may know that, but the person themselves probably wouldn’t be fully aware of it. > “Maybe five consecutive successes (intimate encounters) could restore someone’s gentleman status. And to celebrate their comeback, offer fees could be half price.” I think restoring gentleman status after five consecutive intimate encounters is a good idea, but half-price offer fees as a comeback celebration… Actually, that sounds good too. (笑) But if that happened, everyone’s eyes would start gleaming, and even when a woman gently declined, they’d say, “Please, just this once. I’m only one away from five”—even though that would actually be a lie—and resort to tearful pleading tactics. They’d end up being anything but gentlemen. (笑)

I’m Date◎Yume, a male member. According to the free encyclopedia Wikipedia: “A gentleman is a man of high social standing, or someone who is well-versed in courtesy and manners.” If we apply that definition directly to dating clubs, using Mac’s example, a Black member who makes an offer to a Type C woman and gets turned down would be someone who honestly accepts reality by saying, “That’s too bad. I’ll come back another time,” and vows to improve himself so that he’ll be accepted next time. Does that sound about right...?

I’m Hikōki, a male member. > “A man who makes an offer to a Type C woman and gets turned down has forfeited his status as a gentleman right then and there.” I’d say that’s true. He may not even qualify as an average, 50-point man anymore… The women come prepared to say yes as long as the man is clean and presentable—even if he’s far from handsome. That gentlemanly way of carrying yourself may only be possible for a brief ten-year period after turning 50, roughly during your 60s… Money isn’t enough. Words aren’t enough. And being kind doesn’t make an old man acceptable either. What I envy most is men in their 30s and 40s, still full of that drive—not just toward women, but toward time, money, and work. Once you reach your 50s, you’ve graduated from being a man. No matter how hard you try, you can’t regain that spark… What a shame. When you reach an age where you start becoming aware of the time you have left in life, there’s a way of living that you can only understand then. It isn’t bad, but it’s the only way you can live… Perhaps it’s a brief period that comes only after 60 years of experience—a time when you have both the room and the energy to accept aging and everything that comes with it…

I’m Flagmaker, a columnist. I don’t think there are any perfect gentlemen here. Once you’re paying an allowance for an adult relationship (intimate), you’re not really a gentleman in the true sense of the word. By “gentleman,” I mean: “Someone who continues struggling to be a gentleman, even while wavering between his libido and his reason.” That’s what I think a gentleman is. But, to be honest, I do think: “Men should put on a good show and behave with good manners, while women should read between the lines and be kind.” In other words: The man acts cool and says, “I’ll support you without asking for anything in return,” while the woman catches the hint, says, “Thank you♡,” links arms with him, and starts walking toward the hotel. That seems like the ideal arrangement to me. The reason is that when I pretend to be a gentleman, I’m occasionally mistaken for a genuinely decent man who wouldn’t pressure a woman into an adult relationship (intimate)（笑）. As a matter of fact, just the other day, a woman who mistook me for a gentleman made a pretty shameless request. I’m not a gentleman. If I were, I wouldn’t be hanging around a place like this（笑）. The truth is, I’m just a horny bald guy—a bottom-of-the-barrel yokai who survives by leering at women. I may behave like a gentleman, but underneath it all, I’m just a horny guy. It would really help if women understood that. After a year of being registered with Universe, I’m finally starting to understand myself better. I can’t tell whether I’ve grown as a person or simply turned into an even hornier sleazebag（笑）.

I’m a lost-in-life man in my 60s. > “Any man who makes an offer to a Type C woman and gets turned down forfeits his gentleman status right then and there.” Haha, it’s not like I’m trying to be a gentleman... Still, I’ve continued seeing someone who was originally Type A, and since I don’t pressure her for an adult relationship (intimate), she may see me as a gentleman. Of course, the fact that I’m a club member means I’m not exactly a gentleman, but perhaps I haven’t lost those basic gentlemanly qualities—like being considerate of a woman’s feelings. When I was in my 40s, people sometimes told me, “You’re quite dandy,” but somewhere along the way, I guess that changed to, “You’re such a gentleman.” Haha.