The man I adore is handsome, always brings me gifts when we meet, and is so kind that I find myself liking him more every time we see each other.

I sometimes feel something close to wistfulness, but I never truly feel heartbroken. If he were that kind of person, there wouldn’t be any exchange of money, regardless of where we met. At the same time, I find myself thinking that the man who makes you feel that way must be truly wonderful. But I also think that even if such a high-quality man—excellent in every sense—were to meet you somewhere in everyday life, he wouldn’t choose you as a romantic partner… Akari

I’m Date◎Yume, a male member. I’m not handsome, I’m old, and on top of that, I’m one of the poorer members of the club, so even here, I went through all sorts of things before any of my introductions developed into arrangements—including having my offers turned down. So when a woman says, “I’d be happy to date you,” she becomes someone very special to me（笑） We were introduced by the club, but there was an age gap of over 40 years. Once we started seeing each other, things felt a little out of sync, so we discussed how the arrangement should work. Unexpectedly, she took me seriously, and we’ve been able to maintain a stable relationship.

I’m Paper Airplane, a male member. > “Someone special,” “someone important” Those are feelings you have when you meet the person you’re going to marry. I do sometimes feel something close to that, but since this is a club or papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) based on financial arrangements, it would be ridiculous to say so, so I’ll refrain.

I’m a columnist and a flag-maker. I honestly don’t get it. If it makes you feel that sad, then why not have a non-transactional relationship without an allowance? “I like you… but I can’t date you” seems like a phrase a lot of women like, but the excitement shoots up at the word “like,” only to come crashing down a few seconds later, leaving you completely confused. It feels like being rejected while still sealed shut—like a shaken carbonated drink ready to burst. In that case, you might as well not say it in the first place. Lol. I read this in a woman’s column, but the moment I’m told, “I don’t need an allowance from you,” it feels like my heart is being squeezed. My family is what matters most to me, so my daughter is number one and my wife is number two. Women I’ve met here also rank among the people I care about, from third place onward. It started when they confessed their feelings, said things along those lines, or otherwise gave me the impression that they liked me—and I stopped paying them an allowance.