Nice to meet you. I’m Koemi, a female member.

Imai from the Tokyo main branch of Universe Club here. There are already so many responses that I probably don’t need to add anything, but your question, Koemi, was so heartwarming that I couldn’t resist typing out a reply. While many women view dating as work, I think it’s wonderful that you genuinely care about your partner. There are all kinds of men, too: some find a completely transactional relationship easiest, some want to enjoy a sense of simulated romance because otherwise it feels too impersonal, and some think they’d be happy if it happened to develop into real love… and so on. Since you’ve already met five times, it sounds like you’re a perfect match♪ The fact that your current dating pace and approach to the relationship work well for both of you is probably another reason things have continued. So, rather than getting carried away by your feelings and rushing things, it would be lovely if you could continue enjoying the comfortable relationship you have now. Unless your appearance or overall vibe has changed significantly, or a staff member has contacted you, we generally arrange repeat photo shoots once every six months. After the new photos are taken, they’ll appear at the top of your member profile, so you may attract new offers. However, as Maezawa mentioned earlier, this can sometimes leave a less favorable impression on men you’re already seeing regularly. I recommend coming up with a convincing explanation before going ahead with the photo shoot.

Maezawa from the President’s Office will answer as well. Thank you for your question. > My affection is becoming completely focused on him. lol That’s a reference to Demon Slayer, right? (笑) Keep working toward mastering “Total Concentration Constant” as well. > We’ve only met five times so far, but I’m liking him more and more. There’s no doubt he’s a good person, and I think you two must also be very compatible. I think it would be good to continue seeing him and treat the relationship with care. > I find myself feeling unsettled, just like in a normal romantic relationship—wanting to contact him, wanting to see him, wondering how he feels about me, and so on. I think it’s fine to treat it much like a normal romantic relationship. However, one thing to keep in mind is that men may be happy with it up to a certain point, but once you go beyond that, they may start thinking, “Could this become a problem?” So I think you need to stay aware that this is a relationship involving an allowance. > I haven’t received many offers, so I’m considering talking to the staff about having my photos taken again. If I don’t get any offers, I can’t diversify either, right? (tears) Considering your current supporter, I feel it would be better not to make your actions too obvious. Even if you do have your photos taken again, I think it would be best to take the stance that: “The staff kept contacting me, saying it was absolutely necessary. I didn’t really need new photos, but Universe has been so helpful to me, so I felt I had no choice but to agree. They must be having a tough time too.”

I’m Tetsu, a male member. I don’t want to be misunderstood, so please take this as just my personal opinion. Falling for someone is a wonderful thing. It really is. Just knowing you’ll get to see someone you like is exciting, and when you do meet, you can spend fulfilling time together. There are so many positives. You say it’s different from a normal romantic relationship, but you never know where you might meet someone special. The fact that you happened to meet through club activities may itself be a wonderful encounter. I suspect more people than you’d think have had their lives changed through club activities. The idea of seeing multiple people so you don’t become too attached to one person feels somewhat impure in terms of motivation. If you’re happy with your current situation, I think it’s perfectly fine to leave things as they are. That said, you’ve only met a few people so far, and there may be an even better male member out there. Wouldn’t it feel more natural and less stressful to consider seeing other men only when you genuinely feel that you want to broaden your horizons?

I’m Hikōki, a male member. At the club, people with all kinds of personalities and preferences end up meeting, so it sounds like you two have a good relationship. For you, he’s a man who gave you a valuable offer and meets you practically every week. From his perspective, you’re someone who meets him that often and genuinely focuses on him. It seems like that balance works well for both of you. I think it might be worth reconsidering the allowance and other terms you originally wanted. This may sound harsh, but it’s reasonable to assume that your first month is when offers peak, and it isn’t realistic to expect the number of offers to increase dramatically after having new photos taken. At the same time, perhaps it’s precisely because you don’t have many other options that you’re able to focus all your attention and enthusiasm on your current partner. That may be why you can treat him well, and why he can feel that your feelings are genuine. It’s quite rare for a man to want to meet someone five times in about a month. There’s no doubt he likes you a great deal, and I think your current circumstances are helping to reinforce that. You could choose to see multiple men, but while that may bring you certain benefits, you should also be prepared for the way your current partner sees you to change. From the man’s perspective—as the one paying the allowance—once he’s met someone two to five times or more, he often starts noticing things that leave him unsatisfied. Many men gradually stop meeting someone, so remaining their favorite indefinitely isn’t easy.

I’m Taro, a male member. You registered last month and have already met five times? That sounds like things are going pretty well. From the man’s side, people tend to get filtered out by around the third meeting, so the number of ongoing arrangements decreases. After that, though, things often continue for quite a while. My personal impression is that women usually start to warm up around the third to fifth meeting. By now, you’ve probably built enough of a deeper connection, so why not try saying something like, “Would it be okay if I started to like you?” No one wants things to turn into a messy situation, but as a man, he’d probably be happy to have you develop feelings for him—as long as you maintain a reasonable distance. Say it clearly in words. Holding hands outside or giving other indirect signs can be hard to understand, and they may not get through. The woman ends up disappointed and leaves, while the man realizes it later and regrets it. No one benefits. Even if you express your feelings, it might not work out. If so, that’s just how it is. In that case, you could keep her as an option and find another person to balance things out. I’d also recommend having your profile photos retaken. It’s always important to keep your options open.

I’m Kazu, a male member. This may not be exactly what you mean by “diversifying,” but I think having multiple partners gives you more peace of mind. It may depend on the person, but if you feel like you have to make things work with just one person, you can end up feeling stuck and uneasy because there’s no fallback. If you’re seeing multiple people at the same time, even if things don’t work out with one of them, you still have other partners. For women, if they have only one partner and things end with him, their allowance disappears. That can make them feel like they have to put up with things to avoid their allowance dropping to zero. But if they have multiple partners, their allowance won’t fall to zero even if things end with one of them. I think having that kind of leeway is important. That’s why I recommend that my partners have at least one other partner besides me.