Is all the money supposed to come from the other person? Also, I don’t want my side job to be discovered by my company, so I’d prefer to be paid in cash. Is that possible?

I’m Flag Maker, a columnist. As Maezawa-san pointed out, these are gifts exchanged between individuals, so they’re subject to gift tax, not income tax. If the total amount you receive in gifts is ¥1.1 million or more, you need to file a gift tax return. Also, gift tax is calculated based on the recipient, so it’s incorrect to think, “I received ¥1 million from each of several papas, so it’s tax-free.” For example, if you receive ¥1 million each from three papas over the course of a year, you’ll owe 10% gift tax on ¥1.9 million—the ¥3 million total minus the ¥1.1 million basic exemption—which comes to ¥190,000.

Maezawa from the CEO’s office here—I’ll answer as well. Thank you for your question. Universe Club doesn’t pay you any salary or other compensation, so all the money comes from the men you meet. Also, most people receive their allowance in cash. In fact, bank transfers are usually paid afterward, so you may feel uneasy about whether the money will actually be sent. For that reason, I think most people would normally decline transfers. I don’t think this would technically count as a side job, but since you’re receiving gifts, you may be liable for gift tax.