I’m jealous of the stories about people receiving ¥300,000 or even ¥500,000. I know I should focus on being myself, but what do you think sets people who receive that much apart from the average person? It can’t be just luck, right?

I’m Maezawa from the president’s office, and I’ll answer this too. Thank you for your question. First, I think looks and appearance are important. Whether you receive an offer is determined almost entirely by your appearance. After you’ve gone on a date, though, I think personality becomes the deciding factor. From a man’s perspective, even if a woman is attractive, he may think, “There are plenty of other women like that.” If he finds her interesting or enjoyable to be around, or likes her personality, those qualities seem to lead to a higher allowance later on. So if you’re already receiving offers, I think what matters afterward is your personality—and how you accept the allowance initially offered while maintaining those good qualities. In that sense, there seem to be women who receive a substantial monthly allowance even though they have fairly average looks. I don’t think it’s all down to luck, but luck still plays a major role. If you happen to meet a man whose standard is basically 20,000–30,000 yen, I don’t think the allowance will increase no matter how hard the woman tries. But if he’s the kind of person who gives 70,000 or 80,000 yen without her even asking, then her efforts might bring it up to 100,000 yen.

I’m Taro, a male member. When it comes to getting offers, I’d say the main factors are being reasonably attractive in a broadly appealing way, having a large chest, and looking fairly innocent while also seeming like someone I might be able to sleep with—basically, Type C. After you get an offer, it probably comes down to the odds, including the other person’s quality and how well you click. My impression is that ¥300,000–¥500,000 a month was roughly the going rate for keeping a hostess or similar entertainer around back in the day. Dating clubs are meant to be a place for ordinary women who aren’t in that line of work, and men go in with that expectation too. That’s why refined, wholesome-looking women tend to be popular, and I think many men are looking for someone who doesn’t seem overly focused on money. Structurally speaking, expecting ¥300,000–¥500,000 a month in that setting seems unrealistic. That said, there are all kinds of people, so the odds aren’t zero（笑）. For now, it’s probably best to work on getting as many offers as possible. Just like with the lottery, buying more tickets improves your chances of winning.

From a man’s perspective, the women who receive that much actually seem more ordinary. This is Paper Airplane, a male member. (From the men’s side, the women who can feel happy with a smaller allowance are the more exceptional and valuable ones.) Some women are satisfied with ¥100,000 a month in total, while others want ¥300,000, ¥500,000, or even over ¥1 million. Everyone has different needs and lifestyles. Likewise, each man is looking for someone who suits him, and what men want varies from person to person. Even women receiving ¥500,000 or so often deal with tremendous stress. Only those who can handle it—or even find it comfortable rather than stressful—can keep going for long. Some may eventually come to their senses and realize that it isn’t about the money, then break free. I like women with an ordinary, down-to-earth outlook. Rather than luxury goods or fancy food, I’d prefer someone who can appreciate subtle differences in simple things and share the pleasure of natural tastes and experiences.

I’m Kazu, a male member. Basically, I think it comes down to luck—or simply meeting the right person. That said, having at least a certain number of offers naturally increases your chances of finding that kind of connection. And without any offers, nothing can even begin. So I do think a certain level of attractiveness is expected. However, I’ve heard that Universe Club’s interview standard is whether they think you’re likely to receive offers. So if you’ve passed the Universe Club interview, that means the staff believe you should be able to get offers. Of course, being beautiful or having a popular profession makes it easier to attract offers, so those factors can help. But there are also plenty of ordinary office workers and students who receive more than ten offers in their first month after registering. So it doesn’t seem that having a popular profession necessarily means you’ll get lots of offers. When I think about what separates women who receive offers from those who don’t, it still feels like luck plays a big part. Come to think of it, something one of the women I’ve been seeing regularly once said really stayed with me. She received more than ten offers in her first month, and she said, “If I were the kind of woman who could sleep with just about anyone, I could’ve made even more money.” It does seem that women who aren’t too selective about their partners are likely to receive more allowance. And when I think about the women who have been able to maintain ongoing relationships—not just with me, but in general—it seems that they tend to be women who enjoy sex. When you’re having sex, a man can tell whether the woman is genuinely into it or not. I think only a small number of men would want to continue an ongoing relationship with a woman who has sex with them without really wanting to. Personality matters too. I don’t think a relationship will last long unless the woman is genuinely kind—or at least good at acting that way. One thing that surprised me after joining Universe Club and reaching the stage where I’d been seeing someone for several months was how kind the women actually were. Looking online, you constantly see cynical comments from women doing papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), like bragging about humiliating men or squeezing money out of their papas, so I worried that they might generally have bad personalities. But in reality, that wasn’t the case at all. Of course, if a woman seems unpleasant on the first date, I just end things after dinner. But I was surprised by how kind everyone was once I actually started seeing them. After a few months, we naturally became closer and they began sharing their true feelings, so I occasionally heard some slightly dark or calculating thoughts. Still, overall, I’ve found them to be genuinely very kind. That got a bit long, but to sum it up: if you’re reasonably attractive and have a decent personality, get a little lucky, and don’t dislike sex, I think you can receive around ¥300,000 to ¥500,000 a month.