Hello.

Maezawa from the CEO’s office here, answering your question. Thank you for your question. There’s no need to mention that you’re poor, so I’d leave that part out and simply explain the rest as it is. In this case, you could say something like: “I’m worried my family might get suspicious if I’m given a designer-brand gift. What do you think I should do?” “I don’t really know much about brands in the first place…” That way, he might choose something less likely to raise suspicion, or he might come up with another idea. Even if you do receive a gift, you could tell your family something like: “I bought it on Mercari for 10,000 yen. It doesn’t look used at all, so it was a real bargain. The listing said it was authentic, but it was so cheap that it might be a fake.” Sometimes people who don’t know an item’s value do list things cheaply, so I don’t think that explanation sounds strange. If you’re assuming you’ll receive a gift, you could also simply say: “I don’t know much about brands, so could you tell me which ones are good?” That should work too. In any case, the fact that he wants to give you a present probably means he likes you quite a lot.

I’m Flag Maker, a column writer. They probably know I don’t have that much money. They do ask me for things, but everyone seems to zero in on that sweet spot—usually just under ¥10,000（笑） Instead of going for one big-ticket item like a handbag, how about asking for a combination such as a ¥20,000 coat, ¥10,000 boots, ¥10,000 handbag, and ¥10,000 total for a top and skirt?

I’m a male member, Fullerene! Here are two ideas: 〇 Say, “I’d rather have experiences than things,” and steer his spending toward experiences instead. Though I get the feeling he really just loves buying things for you, so it might be difficult. 〇 If you live with your parents, you could make it look like you bought the item on Mercari and have him send it to you by courier a second time. Sorry, I couldn’t come up with any better ideas（笑）

I’m a male member who isn’t particular about brands—Paper Airplane. So the women I date tend to be like you: they value practicality over brand names. That’s why someone like you would be ideal for me. When it comes to shopping, the prices of bags, clothes, and shoes can vary by as much as tenfold depending on the woman, but I personally prefer someone with a down-to-earth attitude.

I’m Taro, a male member. What a sweet girl, haha. Honestly, I don’t think there’d be any problem with just telling him directly. That said, I understand why you might hesitate. The truth is, men can sometimes lose interest when things get too blunt and realistic. So I think it’s best to take things step by step. You could start with, “I don’t really know much about brands.” If you’re a college student, it’s perfectly normal not to know much about luxury brands. And if he says, “Then I’ll choose one for you,” you could reply, “I live with my family, so I’m a little worried they might get suspicious.” Try acting like a sweet, vulnerable woman who’s happy but a little flustered. Also, don’t forget to show that you care about him. In fact, being slightly over-the-top about that is probably just right. And watch his reactions very carefully. If anything seems even slightly off, slow things down a little. Being considerate about these details is pretty important too. If you’ve met several times and your relationship has reached the point where he says, “I’ll buy you whatever you like,” then you should basically be fine. So stay calm and aim to let things settle naturally where they’re meant to. Best of luck.