I'm a woman in my early 20s.

I’m in Seattle. Born cute and already over 20—pretty much unbeatable, right? Freedom has its limits until you’re 19, but you made it to adulthood just fine.

Maezawa from the CEO’s office here. > I’m genuinely envious of people who grew up loved by their parents without ever having to struggle financially. > > People usually say I look happy. It’s possible that, to other people, you may also look like someone who grew up loved by their parents without financial worries. And the people you see as having grown up that way may actually be unbearably lonely inside. For now, I think you should focus on yourself rather than worrying about other people. If you’re lonely, I think you should meet more and more people. If you’re not too selective, you can meet all kinds of men, and eventually you may even meet people of the same gender. You might get deceived or hurt, but even so, meeting many different people will give you more life experience. In time, you’ll also come to understand what kind of person you’re looking for. You might even consider aiming to meet 1,000 people. I’m not sure what the best way to go about it would be, but I feel that meeting lots of people is a good idea.

I’m Nana Ayase ♡ There hasn’t been much sunlight lately, so maybe that’s why I’ve been feeling a little down. I’ve received lots of offers, so I’m going to let my papas spoil me and get lots of head pats and hugs.

I’m Tetsu, a male member. As we get older, we tend to think about negative things more often. After gaining life experience and going through plenty of painful situations, we start simulating bad things happening in our heads so we can be more careful next time. In reality, the bad things we imagine don’t happen very often. In other words, it’s basically a pointless simulation (lol). As long as we’re alive, there will always be things to worry about. If you’re happy right now, just enjoy that happiness. Don’t start thinking, “What if the papa I’m seeing cuts me off…?” Happiness has a way of creating more happiness. When something good happens and you think that maybe even better things will follow, good things often do keep happening.

I’m Shingo Lee, a male member. You strike me as a very intelligent person. I imagine life must have been extremely difficult until you reached adulthood, but you’ve analyzed it objectively and concluded that there was nothing you could do about it. I think that may be what you meant when you wrote, “It’s not good to think about strange things at night. I’m going to sleep.” I can really relate to you. I was also raised by a violent father and was conditioned from a young age to believe that I was “worthless.” However, I’ve since broken free from that conditioning and am now living a fairly ordinary life. I’d like to share two surprising facts with you. The first is that, basically, human beings are creatures who feel lonely. Some people overcome that loneliness by having someone “give” to them, while others do so by “giving” to someone else. The latter tend to be happier. That said, you should never give to someone who only exploits others. For more on this, I recommend reading the book *Give and Take*. Once we’re no longer under our parents’ protection, sooner or later we come to realize that human beings are inherently lonely creatures. My personal belief is that “people can only be held by someone’s appeal and the memories they share.” Youth fades, and unless you create deep, meaningful memories faster than you age, people will eventually drift away. Sometimes, all you can do in life is watch someone leave and curse your own lack of appeal. The second is that I’m sure you could become a wonderful mother. These days, people often describe their parents’ shortcomings using the term “toxic parents.” I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, but if you were able to grow into adulthood with the intelligent way of thinking you have now, I believe that can be called a success. It may be difficult in today’s world to say that “giving birth is easier than worrying about it,” but I would like to tell you that this is not something you need to torment yourself over so much. This is just an aside, but saying, “I don’t want to have children because I lack confidence in myself,” can be quite off-putting to men and has more impact than you might expect. If possible, I think it would be better not to say that too often in front of men you meet in person. Those words can drive men away more than you realize. They may even push away men who would otherwise try to help you change your way of thinking, so it might be better to keep those feelings somewhat private. Through another activity, I used to help people like you. Although our relationship exists only within this Q&A forum, I hope I can be of some small assistance. I sincerely hope that a wonderful future awaits you.

I’m Taro, a male member. You sound like you’re about to join some new religious movement. You should get to bed early. Though I’m sure you’re already asleep by now（笑） There are two things I want to say. First, I think there are surprisingly few truly happy people in this world. You know the saying, “The grass is always greener on the other side.” You’re like that yourself, aren’t you? Other people may think you look happy, but that isn’t how you really feel. I think everyone’s like that to some extent. Second, I suppose someone who grew up loved by their parents without ever having to struggle financially would be considered happy—but is that really so great? If there were an anime or drama whose protagonist had that kind of life, would you watch it? Wouldn’t it be too flat and boring? It’s the shadows that give a person depth. In jazz, for example, tension—dissonance—is deliberately used to create compelling harmonies. I think the things we dislike are actually necessary. Rather than looking away or sweeping unpleasant things under the rug, it’s better to use them as motivation and think about how to move forward with strength.

I’m Paper Airplane, a male member. Even people who grew up loved by their parents and without financial hardship can have many sides they can’t show others—like feeling unbearably lonely deep down. It’s not as simple as saying that people without illness or disabilities are happy, or that having a mild condition is better and a severe one is harder. Maybe it’s actually the other way around. No one can completely fill the emptiness of loneliness. But I believe the day will come when you’re able to accept both your past and your parents. I think having been through a lot of painful experiences makes it possible to find happiness and be moved by even the smallest things.