I feel that many of the blacklisted male members registered with Universe Club are men in their 40s to 60s.

I’m Maezawa from the CEO’s office, and I’ll answer too. Since this isn’t actually a question, it would normally be hidden. But for some reason, it’s gotten quite a few answers. Maybe the questioner was told something about their age and came here to vent their frustration? Poor thing. There, there. Is that the kind of mood we’re in? I don’t think envy and jealousy will change anything, so I’d suggest starting by changing yourself.

You shouldn’t act so entitled when you’re fawning over men like that against your will and accepting an allowance from them. If you don’t like it, you can simply quit. You’re just a young girl who can’t even make much money on her own, relying on nothing but her youth and good looks. Oh, dear. I’m sorry—I let that slip. Just an old person’s jealousy, I suppose! Mari-ka

I’m Taro, a male member. I remember getting emails like this from women before... They ended with, “Please don’t email me anymore. I won’t email you either. I’m deleting this address too.” I received three emails like that in one week. What a coincidence, if they were all from the same person. As for your question, I didn’t read it very carefully because it was long, but I think you’re right. I’m honestly so glad I have money. I’ll keep doing my best at this rate. P.S. Lately, it’s been fun how the answerers immediately start competing to come up with the funniest responses as soon as one of these questions comes in（笑）.

I’m Flag Maker, a column writer. I can somewhat understand how the questioner feels. I’m pretty timid, so if I start thinking that a woman sees me in a certain way, I can’t continue seeing her. (Though maybe that’s already how they see me, haha.) That’s why I’m here in my thirties. I plan to retire from this kind of thing by forty at the latest and devote my money and time to my family. Or rather, I hope to be in a position where I can do that. I’m not criticizing any of the other male members. It’s just that I want to wrap up this kind of fun while I’m still relatively young and move on to the next stage. That’s how I feel about it. I got married fairly young too, and for some reason I’ve always had a strong urge to “finish things early and move on.” Whenever something interests me, I take action right away. I want to become the kind of man in his forties who doesn’t fool around, values his family, and can focus more fully on his work. That’s why I’m here now. I consider myself a late bloomer. I’m steadily working hard, and I think I’ll probably start seeing real success in my forties. After I retire, I’d like to become the neighborhood association chairman and an old man who works hard to organize festivals and other events for the local children. So, with only a few years left until I turn forty, I wonder what I’ll be like by then, haha. I have a feeling I might still be having fun, but first I need to gain various experiences while I’m still doing this before I can move on. So for now, I’m going to make the most of it!

I’m Paper Airplane, a male member who hasn’t missed a hug and kiss with his wife every morning for decades. I suppose my motto would be: Being lovey-dovey with my wife at home (although maybe it’s one-sided?), still having my children pay attention to me (or work me to the bone?), making sure neither I nor my children shut ourselves away in our rooms, keeping love alive both at home and outside, not living only for work, putting my family, my wife, and my daughter first—even if that means neglecting work—and not going out drinking all the time… If you dislike older men around your father’s age, I don’t think you should force yourself to do papa-katsu. Just enjoy life naturally. After all, papa-katsu is something only a very small percentage of men and women do. If it doesn’t suit you, it’ll only make you miserable.

I’m Kazu, a male member. It sounds like something unpleasant happened to you. > Why do some men mistakenly believe they’re popular, even though young, attractive women wouldn’t give them the time of day unless they paid? Since they receive attention when they offer an allowance, I don’t think it’s necessarily wrong to say, “I’m popular (if I offer an allowance).” It doesn’t seem to be a misunderstanding. > Is it because they’re successful business owners, so people around them go out of their way to accommodate them? Just as someone can receive considerate treatment by offering an allowance even if he isn’t a particularly good man, people will also treat him considerately if he pays salaries or gives them work, even if he isn’t especially competent. So being successful at work isn’t necessarily the reason. > Why can they so casually criticize women’s ages, saying things like, “I don’t want a woman over 30,” “You can really see a woman’s age once she’s around 28,” or “A woman’s prime is over in no time”? They aren’t putting women’s ages aside—they’re putting men’s ages aside. If you want to say they’re putting women’s ages “on display,” the more appropriate expression would be “putting them on the chopping block,” not “putting them on a shelf.” In Japanese, the expression is “putting something on the discussion table.” Personally, I’ve never thought or said such things, so being a male Black member doesn’t necessarily mean I share those views. One of the women I’m seeing is in her 30s, and I’ve also offered an arrangement to a woman approaching 40. I believe mature women have their own unique appeal. As you can infer from the fact that many women over 30 are registered with Universe Club, it doesn’t seem that all male members are only looking for youth. > I suppose paying means you can choose from as many young women as you want, but don’t you find it pathetic for an old man to be so fixated on women’s youth? As I mentioned above, I don’t consider myself fixated on youth, so I don’t find it pathetic. I thought that was rather beside the point. > At home, you’re practically separated from your wife, your children want nothing to do with you, and you shut yourself away alone in a room, sadly. You have no love at home or outside of it. I’m not in that situation, but even if I were, it would be the result of my own choices, so I don’t think I would feel sad about it. > If you stopped giving money to the women you date, how many would still be by your side? None, right? Yes, perhaps one might remain, but basically, I date with the understanding that none of them would stay. If I looked like I might no longer be able to give my partners an allowance, I would be prepared to notify them, apologize, and end the relationship. Even with a marriage partner, losing one’s income could potentially become grounds for divorce. Aren’t most relationships in this world ultimately “where the money ends, the relationship ends”? > Please keep doing your best as a filthy, smelly, lonely old man forever. I think all human beings are filthy, smelly, and lonely, but thank you. I’ll do my best. I have a habit of responding to mean-spirited questions with mean-spirited answers, so I apologize.

I’m Basil, a male member. I suppose your point is perfectly valid... At the end of the day, all I’m doing is using the money I earned—the only weapon I have—to do what I want at any given time. I do occasionally feel empty, but I bounce back quickly. I may have made women who didn’t live up to my expectations feel uncomfortable from time to time, but I’m not causing anyone else any trouble, so no one has any right to criticize me over it. Something unpleasant must have happened to you, but I think condemning someone like this is far sadder.