I’m a female member.

I’m Papahikoki, a male member. Even now, why not look for a home appliance, even if you spend around ¥20,000–¥30,000? You could say it’s something you’ve wanted for a while—or just remembered you wanted. There are plenty of reasonably priced everyday appliances, like hair straighteners and irons. If it’s something you genuinely need, it might be okay to go over ¥10,000. If the only thing you dislike is being asked about your budget, spending a few tens of thousands of yen shouldn’t be a problem. That said, as a man, I might feel that I would have preferred you to tell me what you wanted in the first place, rather than deciding on something only after asking about the budget. I don’t remember ever being asked about my “budget,” so maybe being asked would actually bother me quite a bit… If that’s the case, could it mean the relationship isn’t very close? When you’re close, you can sometimes tell what someone has been wanting for a while without them saying anything, and even give it to them as a present.

I’m Ayase Nana ♡ He sent me money via PayPay as a birthday present. I’ll be visiting Shiga again this month, so I’ll use it for lunch then. Thank you as always.

I’m Maezawa from the CEO’s Office, and I’ll answer this too. Most people tend to view gifts and cash as two separate things. So when someone asks for cash, many people seem to feel a little uncomfortable with it. > I asked if he could add ¥10,000 to my allowance, and now he’s left me on read. He may be thinking about how to respond. “Would it be strange to say I don’t like giving cash? I’d really rather give her something, but how can I explain that? Still, it’s probably hard to find something she wants for ¥10,000…” He may be unsure whether to give cash. If you simply wait, he might eventually say, “I guess I’ll give you cash, then.” Or he might say, “I don’t want to give cash— is there something else you’d like?” By the way, Amazon gift cards feel pretty much the same as cash, so I think it would be better to ask for an actual item. > Should I still tell him something I want? I think you should. If you wait, he may decide that cash is fine after all, but there’s also a chance that you’ll end up getting nothing. As Mac mentioned, something like a hair dryer seems like something anyone could use. But perhaps he’s thinking, “I can’t use a cheap ¥10,000 hair dryer. Mine cost ¥30,000.” If a ¥10,000 one would be fine, then asking for a hair dryer might be a good idea. For example, the Panasonic NanoCare EH-CNA9E is slightly over budget, with a lowest price of ¥15,500 including tax: https://kakaku.com/item/J0000033516/ Wouldn’t she perhaps use a hair dryer in that price range? Or does it not really count as a hair dryer unless it costs over ¥30,000? A hair iron could be another option.

I’m Flag Maker, a column writer. That’s right—I just remembered! I think I’ll try saying, “Oh, by the way, I want ○○!” But since a papa (a male supporter) is human too, maybe you could be a little kinder to him ^^;

I’m Kazu, a male member. It sounds like she wanted to receive an actual gift, not cash. I feel like an Amazon gift card would have had the same effect. She’s upset because she realized they’re not a good match, so I don’t think simply asking her what she wants now would be enough to make things right. He’ll probably need to put in a little more effort to make it up to her, but since he’s a man whose values differ from mine, I’m not sure what the best way to handle it would be.