I’m thinking about going in for another photo shoot. But there’s someone I’m currently seeing whom I really like and want to continue seeing in the future. I’m thinking of asking for my profile to be hidden, but how would a man feel if the woman he’s seeing suddenly became hidden? Would you want her to be honest and tell you she went in for another photo shoot? Or would you rather she hide it from you, even if that meant lying?

Maezawa from the President’s Office will answer this as well. > I’m thinking of asking the club to hide my profile, but how would men feel if a woman they’re currently seeing suddenly became hidden? It seems that many men at the club continue checking the profiles of women they’re dating, even while they’re seeing them. So if your profile suddenly disappeared, they’d probably wonder why and ask about it. Even so, I think it would be fine to have your profile hidden this time. Going forward, you could also make a request each time, right after a date, such as: “Could you hide the profile of [name], whom I went on a date with today?” > Do you think I should honestly tell him that I went in for a reshoot? I don’t think there’s any need to bring it up beforehand. I think it’s enough to answer if he asks, but you should probably think in advance about how you’ll respond. You could simply say, “The club asked me to do it, and I felt I owed them a favor, so I went in for a reshoot.” > I don’t think the staff are putting themselves in the position of the people who are actually inconvenienced by this, or considering how it affects everyone. About five years ago, there was a period when the staff would automatically hide someone’s profile after a date. But then the men complained. At that point, the company should have explained that it was the system, but I suspect they instead responded with something like, “We’ll fix it right away.” That said, this is a difficult issue. I think Universe became as large as it is because it has incorporated the opinions of both men and women. Still, when the membership system is eventually renewed—though I don’t know when that will be—they could announce that the system has changed. Since it wouldn’t be much trouble, women can simply say: “Please hide the profile of the man I went on a date with after the date.” And the club will do it. Of course, if requests start coming in from an excessive number of women, the rules might change. If that happens, I’d say it’s probably due to the club’s negligence.

I’m Dai, a male member. From a man’s perspective, if someone’s profile drops in the listings, we assume she may have left the service. When asked, “Did you quit?” you’d have to lie—but hiding your profile effectively means that, doesn’t it? My stance is that it’s fine for her to date other men. So I’d actually prefer it if she honestly told me she’d gone in for a new photo shoot. Sometimes we even look at the new photos or videos, use them as conversation starters, and have fun talking about them.

I’m Fuu, a columnist. If her profile has disappeared, I’d assume she either hid it or quit. Papa(s) who haven’t seen this Q&A might think she’s quit. I’m all for female members continuing their papa-katsu, but I wonder how the other papas feel about it. There are probably quite a few who wouldn’t like it. How about keeping your profile hidden without saying anything unnecessary, and just seeing how things play out? If your papa notices that you’ve hidden it, that means he’s looking at other girls’ profiles too, so you’re even. Papa: “Hey, your profile disappeared?” Questioner: “Are you still looking for other girls?” You could turn the conversation around like that. If your papa is also seeing multiple women, it might make it easier for you to bring up the subject.

Unfortunately, people like Kazu are in the minority. Usually, I think it’s more along the lines of, “I lost interest when I found out she had other papas,” or, “She said I was the only one—was that a lie?” The club could solve this simply by hiding anyone you’ve already met, but they don’t. From the club’s perspective, they’d probably make more money if relationships stopped working out and new offers were made. But maybe they haven’t thought that far and the system is simply not designed that way. I think the staff don’t put themselves in the position of people who are actually affected by this, so they haven’t considered how troublesome it is for everyone. In short, I think the club just can’t be bothered. Marika

I’m Kazu, a male member. I’m the kind of person who prefers open communication. If a woman I’m seeing suddenly hides her profile without saying anything, I take it as a rejection—as though she wants to keep her distance from me. I value relationships where we can speak honestly, so if a woman rejects me in that way, I try to create some distance by seeing her less often. I’d want her to tell me if she went for another photo shoot. A good way to bring it up without making things awkward would be to say that the club invited her to have new photos taken. If you’re seeing someone, you should be able to tell whether they’re the type who wants to know these things or the type who’d rather not. I think it’s best to figure out what kind of person they are and then decide how to handle it.