I’m a fresh-faced third-year university student and female member (・∀・)

I’m Meg, one of the female members. As a woman in my 40s, I can’t help but find our young, fresh members dazzling. It’s wonderful to see such energy! Now, about saving the money… Before that, have you ever asked what your papa (a male supporter) would be happy for you to spend it on? Maybe there’s something he’d like you to use it for—or perhaps he’d be perfectly happy if you saved the entire amount. You could also give him a cute little update like, “I used it for this!” He might even be moved to tears with joy… Still, Riichi, saving one million yen is a wonderful goal.

Universe Tokyo’s Mamiya here. So, young female members are the type to save up money and grin to themselves about it, huh? I aim to keep the money in my bank account as close to zero as possible, so I don’t think we’d see eye to eye. Most people who start papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) say during their interview, “I want more money. I want to save up.” But they haven’t really thought about what they need the money for. Yukichi is just a piece of paper, and a bank balance is just a number. Neither has any value on its own. I recommend deciding what you need the money for first, then setting a target amount and working toward it.

I’m Saito, a column writer♪ I’m not sure how to put this, but you should pay your taxes, too. If you’re a college student with hundreds of millions of yen in savings without paying taxes, the tax authorities will definitely come knocking. And keeping all your money in cash in your room, like some sex workers do, comes with its own worries as well. The more money you have, the more troubles you often face. I think the greatest experience of all is feeling that kind of anxiety that comes with having money. Your experiences belong only to you, so please seek out experiences that money can’t buy. I’m rooting for you.

Maezawa from the CEO’s office here, answering your question as well. > I don’t know how much I should save. Maybe you’re just not someone who’s suited to saving money. People who enjoy saving put everything they receive straight into savings, regardless of whether they have a specific goal. You might think they should spend at least a little, but apparently saving itself gives them peace of mind. They seem to feel that having no savings in case something happens is frightening, so they prefer to save everything. That said, they do buy the bare necessities, such as clothes. But even when their income increases, the amount they spend seems to stay the same. I think things look different when you’re a student versus when you’ve entered the workforce, so you probably don’t need to overthink it right now. But if you’re asking about a goal, I think saving all your income while you’re a student is perfectly fine. You mentioned saving money, but it might also be worth thinking about what else you want to do—whether you’d like to open a shop or try something else. Once you do, you’ll start to figure out how much money you actually need.

I’m Kazu, a male member who has never made an offer to a student. Romane-san’s point about spending windfall money freely to keep the economy moving, and Seattle-san’s point about making conservative investments may seem contradictory at first, but I think they’re both forms of investing in yourself. Spending freely is, so to speak, polishing yourself, while conservative investing is polishing your wallet. I spent almost everything I earned in my twenties, and when I struggled financially in my thirties, I sometimes regretted not saving that money. But looking back now, the money I wasted in my twenties has enriched my life experience. Thanks to that, I’ve become a more interesting middle-aged man than most people my age, so I can probably keep the women I go on dates with from getting bored. I’ve also been able to make money by putting what I learned back then to use. I’m fairly confident that even if my company suddenly went under and I had to start from scratch, I could rebuild myself to an annual income of around 10–20 million yen within a year or two. In other words, even without my current surroundings and resources, I’m confident I could create that much value with nothing but my own abilities. On the other hand, building up savings—polishing your wallet—is also an effective approach. If you have money, you can make more money. With enough money, you can generate income without having to work yourself to the bone. That’s what Seattle-san means by having 200 million yen. With 200 million yen, you could probably invest it at around 5–10% annually, generating roughly 10–20 million yen a year in investment returns. Of course, building up assets of 200 million yen is incredibly difficult for an ordinary person. To reach the level Seattle-san is talking about, you have to study through gains, losses, and plenty of things that don’t pay off. That’s what amounts in the hundreds of millions of yen represent. Have you heard of diversification? If not, look it up and start learning right away. To use papa-katsu as an analogy, diversification means having multiple papa (male supporters). If one papa suddenly ends the relationship, you won’t be stuck as long as you have others. In the same way, if you suddenly become unable to work due to poor health, having assets will help you get by. And even if your assets suddenly become worthless, you won’t be in financial trouble if you can still work and earn money. So although Romane-san’s answer and Seattle-san’s answer may seem contradictory, I think they’re both correct. I also don’t think relying exclusively on one or the other is a good idea. P.S. Riichi-san’s 1 million yen point is incredibly convincing. It’s true that having 1 million yen in cash at all times gives you a very different degree of freedom in life. And Mac-san’s story about Kanegon—I think it’s exactly right. Turning it into a book would be difficult, but it sounds like it would make a really interesting column. (Though it would be more suited to Cinderella, lol.)

I’m Seattle, a male member. If you’re highly motivated and have a real talent for papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), how about setting a goal of ¥200 million? With ¥200 million, you could live comfortably for the rest of your life without job hunting or working, as long as you invested it wisely. First, establish a winning strategy and repeat it. Stop wasting money. Life isn’t just about working for someone else. P.S. I’ve written an extreme maximum goal, but there are people who actually do it. A hostess at an M-oriented establishment told me that, after working for 12 years since she was 18, she had saved ¥100 million. She didn’t get a job after graduating from college and apparently plans to spend the rest of her life enjoying herself on those savings. If I’d been born beautiful, I’d want to do that too.

I’m Date◎Yume, a male member. I don’t think it’s a good idea to think of papa-katsu as a way to save money. If you want to build up savings, it’s better to save from money you can count on receiving every month. Money should be used—or managed—in a planned way. The money you receive through papa-katsu is essentially allowance from an older man. Depending on the circumstances, there may be periods when you receive nothing, so it’s extremely unstable. I think it’s best to treat it as backup spending money. To build up a substantial reserve, it’s important to continue the relationship. The longer the arrangement continues, the more your reserve funds will naturally grow.