The proposal came at an unexpected time. How did you meet? Oya: We were introduced by Minami Takahashi and her husband, who were both members of AKB48. Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi were mutual acquaintances of my husband and I. We first met at a home party held at the Takahashi home. However, my husband was very shy, and I think we hardly talked the first few times.
One day, my husband, who was drunker than usual, challenged me, “I hear you are a strong drinker. I heard you are a strong drinker, so let’s have a game. I agreed to the match and we had a drinking contest, but my husband soon collapsed and stayed over at the Takahashi’s. The next day, we went out for a drink at a bar in the city. The next day, Takamina (Minami Takahashi) called me and told me that her husband was still at the Takahashi’s and we should have lunch together to celebrate the previous day. We talked for the first time, exchanged contact information, and started to keep in touch with each other.
Tatsuya: Did you ever talk to Mr. Iwata before that? Oya: I had never talked to him before, but I thought he was a very considerate person. Even when we were eating together, he was always on the move, asking people if they needed anything to drink when their glasses were empty, or distributing ice. I got the impression that she was a kind and considerate person. My husband seemed to care about me. He said, “The place is so much brighter when I’m there. I think that’s why he talked to me with the momentum of alcohol. We both like drinking very much. Since our common hobby is drinking, we now enjoy drinking together at home every day.