The other day, I was quite late for a date because of work. (It was a particularly busy period, so I had let him know in advance that I might be late.)

Maezawa from the president’s office here with an answer. Thank you for your question. If you’re a woman, being late for the first date is a definite no-go. There have been cases where a man got angry and left just because she was a little late. If you’ve already explained from the start that work might make you late, they may be more understanding. Even so, waiting can be tough. I think it’s best to assume that showing up late without warning isn’t acceptable. If you’re a man, I recommend making the meeting point inside the restaurant you reserved. That way, even if you’re late, it probably won’t leave quite as bad an impression. Of course, it’s still best not to be late.

I’m Flagmaker, a columnist. When the other person is late, I think, “Lucky!” Because I can use it as an opportunity to show off my calm, easygoing nature and what a good person I am.

I’m Paper Airplane, a male member. I’m willing to be lenient, but looking back over the roughly 100 offers I’ve had in the past year, I can only remember two women who were late for their first date. And honestly, they were both people to avoid. One was an absolutely outrageous woman who was deceptive about everything. The other had been introduced to me early on—maybe because she couldn’t be publicly listed? She was pretty careless and unreliable. Since we’d already met, I’ve continued seeing her for now, but she probably wouldn’t be suitable for an official listing or membership. So, a decent woman should normally arrive at least five minutes early for the first meeting… Wait, that’s not quite right. One of my absolute favorites ended up meeting me two or three hours late for our first date because of an accident or some other trouble—we both refused to give up, even with the delay. Another woman who was exactly my type was also a little late… But unlike the careless, last-minute lateness I mentioned above, they contacted me in advance, explained what was going on, and we stayed in communication until we were able to meet. So I guess that doesn’t really count as being late, since they let me know beforehand. If it’s a setting arranged through the club, being late is out of the question. The idea of someone’s very first message to me being an apology for being late is horrifying.

I’m Tetsu, a male member. There’s absolutely nothing positive about being late. Someone may let it slide, but they’re never genuinely happy about it. To be frank, after reading your question, it seems like you’re listing excuse after excuse to justify being late. Quite honestly, that’s just making excuses.