Chapter 95 Extra: A marriage-hunting lady around 40 years old goes to a marriage counseling agency.

Translator: Soafp

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For those who want to get married, the last resort is a marriage consultation agency.

But do you know the reality behind it?

This time, let’s look at the experiences of a woman named Suzuka Sanjoji, who is approaching the age when marriage is most appropriate.

“Well, then, I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“Thank you.”

The woman conducting the interview began reviewing the profile. It had been a while since Suzuka Sanjoji had experienced such an interview-like situation, and she anxiously waited for the other person to speak.

After finishing reviewing the documents, the woman conducting the interview smiled and spoke, making Suzuka Sanjoji even more nervous.

“I see. You work as a teacher, that’s a wonderful profession. Do you plan to continue working after marriage?”

“Yes, my family has a long history of teachers, and I take pride in this profession. So, I plan to continue working even after marriage. Of course, I might take maternity leave when children are born, but I have no intention of quitting.”

Suddenly, the woman conducting the interview burst into tears.

“Eeh!? W-what’s wrong!? Did I say something wrong!?”

“No, it’s not that. You’re just too decent…”

Suzuka Sanjoji hurriedly comforted the woman.

“At this age, many people expect women to get married and become homemakers, so there are a large number of unemployed forties-year-olds who claim to be housewives in name only, but they have no idea about household chores… Ahem, I apologize, it’s nothing.”

Suzuka Sanjoji understood the situation.

Marriage consultation agencies have a fundamental difference compared to other forms of matchmaking.

The key distinction is the ability to thoroughly review the other person’s profile before making a match.

In marriage consultation agencies, there is no element of romance.

This sets them apart from activities like matchmaking apps or singles events.

As a result, both men and women rely solely on profiles to assess potential partners and make their choices.

Even in marriage consultation agencies, both parties’ profiles, or in other words, their specifications, are matched.

Marriage consultation agencies never introduce incompatible matches.

The basic principle of marriage consultation agencies is to pair high-spec individuals with high-spec individuals and low-spec with low-spec individuals.

And this is the biggest tragedy of marriage consultation agencies.

But what does it mean for specifications to be compatible?

It’s not about having the same age or income.

There are specific specifications required for a clear match.

In simple terms, it’s “men = income,” and “women = age.”

“As for age… yes, I think it’s best to consider marriage as soon as possible. Most men who desire children have set a limit at the age of 34. Therefore, they prefer both partners to work, and with your current profile, there’s a good chance you can meet an ideal partner.”

“That’s reassuring. When I think about having children, I can’t help but become conscious of marriage here…what’s wrong!?”

“No, it’s just that you seem very grounded in reality…”

Once again, the counselor burst into tears (´；ω；｀).

Income and age. These are the factors that make up the majority of what people seek in the opposite sex in marriage consultation agencies. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that they account for 80% to 90% of the weighting.

The principles of a marriage consultation agency are extremely straightforward.

For men, high-spec means an annual income of 10 million yen, and for women, it’s being in their twenties.

Of course, in practice, it’s more finely classified. For men, factors such as income, age, educational background, height, and others come into play, but income still carries the most weight. For women, it’s predominantly focused on age.

If a woman is young, her age alone can offset other negative aspects.

The problem with desiring to be a full-time housewife is that, in recent times, many men prefer dual-income households due to economic uncertainties. But above all, they cannot compromise on their partner’s income.

In a dual-income household, even if one partner has a lower income, as long as both are self-reliant and can support their own lives, it doesn’t hinder marriage. There’s also the advantage of a higher household income.

However, in the case of desiring to be a full-time housewife, one would rely on the partner’s income to sustain their own life. Therefore, choosing a partner with a low income is absolutely impossible.

This is acceptable only for high-spec women in their twenties.

Hence, men generally do not choose forties-year-old women who desire to be full-time housewives.

Furthermore, those born during Japan’s economic downturn, raised with both parents working, tend to prefer dual-income households, while those born in prosperous times with mothers as full-time housewives tend to desire the same.

There are countless examples of jobless, living-with-parents forties-year-old women who absurdly demand their potential partners to have an income of over 8 million yen. It’s a nightmare.

Not only does it create economic dependency on men, but they also do not want children and expect to split household chores equally. It’s a headache-inducing monster that marriage consultation agency staff have to deal with daily.

This is the biggest disconnect in marriage consultation agencies and is responsible for the current overflow of women in these agencies.

“Well then, how about the conditions for the male partner you desire?”

The desired male partner. Suzuka Sanjoji pondered.

As a woman, Suzuka Sanjoji had her own ideals when it came to marriage.

It’s always fine to present realistic conditions, but shouldn’t she at least try to align her desires with her ideals? She was tempted by this thought, and it naturally slipped from her lips.

“Well, let’s see… First, in their teens—”

“In their teens!?”

“A strong sense of responsibility—”

“In their teens with a strong sense of responsibility!?”

“Kind and—”

“Well, that’s somewhat manageable…”

“A lot of followers on social media, popular—”

“This is an impossible condition!”

“A partner who cherishes me—”

“Sorry, but there are no male candidates I can introduce, so we cannot accept your application.”

“Yesh?”

Needless to say, there is no way a teenager would be in a marriage counseling agency.

There are limits even to pursuing younger partners.

And so, Suzuka Sanjoji’s journey in the world of matchmaking stumbled right from the first step.

Goodluck, Suzuka Sanjoji! Don’t give up, Suzuka Sanjoji!