A question from a woman in her 40s.

I’m Maezawa from the CEO’s Office, and I’ll answer this as well. Thank you for your question. > Would you be completely put off if a woman proposed terms like these? An allowance is considered normal precisely because this is a dating club. In the ordinary world, it’s not normal at all. The moment you bring up things like an allowance, people may be completely turned off, and you could even end up the subject of unpleasant rumors. So rather than discussing it directly, I think it would be better to keep it vague, saying something like: “I’ll think about it if you become more successful.” Alternatively, I think it would be better to simply decline by giving some other reasonable excuse.

I’m Flag Maker, a column writer. If you openly say something like “allowance,” people will be seriously put off, so try wording it differently. For example, how about saying, “Actually, I’m struggling financially, and I’d appreciate a little help with my living expenses,” or using language that doesn’t make it sound like a direct exchange for ○ex? That said, it feels a little off since it strays from what the questioner actually intends.

I’m a male member, “Paper Airplane.” Allowance outside the club? Absolutely not, whether she’s younger or older. Outside the club is a world where the club doesn’t exist. It’s a completely separate world. I think you can truly appreciate the benefits of each when you keep them separate.

I’m Marika. I’m jealous—you must be incredibly popular! I do receive an allowance from younger men I meet through the club, but if I meet someone outside the club, I don’t bring up an allowance. And if I wouldn’t want to see him without one, I wouldn’t enter into an adult relationship with him either. Rather than trying to become the kind of woman a younger man outside the club would want to see only if she received an allowance, I’d rather be in that kind of relationship with a younger man I’d want to see even without one. That’s how I feel.

I’m Kazu, a male member. When I was in my 30s, I had a woman I was in an allowance-based relationship with, so I don’t think I would have been particularly surprised to hear that. I was introduced to her by an older acquaintance and we started seeing each other, but she was a completely ordinary woman. In the same way, most of the women registered with Universe Club are ordinary women. So even if a woman I met somewhere other than a dating club wanted an allowance-based relationship, I wouldn’t be all that surprised. Whether a man would be put off probably depends on his experience. That said, I feel that what men look for in a woman when there’s no allowance involved differs from what they look for in an allowance-based relationship. In my case, if a woman I had been trying to win over as a non-allowance relationship brought up the subject of an allowance, the somewhat guilty desires I harbor toward women in allowance-based relationships might start growing inside me. For me, someone I’d be willing to pay an allowance to see isn’t necessarily someone beautiful, but someone I can openly express my somewhat guilty desires to. What men want from someone they’re willing to pay an allowance to see probably differs from person to person. I can’t think of any one good way to explain this that would work for everyone. I value logic and reasons, so if you could clearly explain why you don’t want an adult relationship (intimate) without an allowance, I think I could understand it. I don’t know what kind of explanation that particular man would prefer, but I hope this helps.