愛とは犠牲を払ってでも守りたいと思うこと
In a special solo segment running roughly 20 minutes, Saito Nagisa (斉藤なぎさ) defines love at 23 through three concrete stories: her mother's daily 4 a.m. lunches, the mutual trust built over five to six years with fans, and the unconditional affection of her pet dog. Her conclusion — that love means wanting to protect someone even at personal cost, expecting nothing in return — gives the episode its title.
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What this episode answers
How does Nagisa define "love"?
Nagisa defines love as "wanting to protect someone and live for them, even at personal cost." She says the essence of love is giving without expecting anything in return — being fine even if nothing comes back — and always making choices you won't regret.
Who does Nagisa credit as the origin of her sense of love, and what did they do?
Her mother is the origin. She woke at 4 a.m. every day to pack lunches for Nagisa and her older sister, drove them to and from the station daily to match their train schedules, and drove far to pick Nagisa up after MV shoots, all while holding down her own job.
How does Nagisa view her relationship with fans from her idol years?
She calls fans her "treasure" and says she loves them deeply. At a recent signing event fans told her that her simply eating well and smiling was all they needed, which moved her greatly; she describes the relationship as a mutual trust built up over many years, with each side wanting only the other's happiness.
What inner shift did Nagisa experience around age 17 or 18?
Until then she had been too absorbed in her own survival to think of others; from around 17 or 18, through various experiences, a desire to do things for the people around her began to emerge, and she still carries a lifelong resolve to repay those who supported her through the hardest times.
What does Nagisa say about the love her pet dog gives her?
Her dog gives a love that is completely free of pretense — unlike human relationships, which involve complicated emotions like jealousy, her dog simply and purely shows that she is number one; "when you're tired of the human world, there's nothing like just turning to your dog," she said.
A Long-Awaited Reunion and an Exhausting Stretch
Hata Mei (畑芽育) and Saito Nagisa are reuniting for the first time since a fireworks event. Nagisa admits she has spent the past month in a near-zombie state — barely eating, running on empty. The one bright spot: on the day of recording she blocked off the afternoon for a string of maintenance appointments, then treated herself to a solo yakiniku lunch that stretched until closing time. The spread included five kinds of beef tongue, truffle-topped stone-pot bibimbap, yukhoe, and truffle sushi — enough for a staff member to come over and ask if she was all right.
"What Is Love?" — Nagisa's Solo Talk Segment
A previous episode in which Mei spoke about love and money was so well received that listeners flooded in asking for a Nagisa version. For this special segment, Mei stepped into another room so Nagisa could stand alone at the mic for roughly 20 minutes and speak freely about love.
Her conclusion was disarmingly simple: "Love is wanting to protect someone and live for them, even at personal cost." The essence of love, she said, is giving without expecting anything back — being fine even if nothing is returned — and making choices you won't regret. She reflected on her own nature: lavishing friends with extravagant birthday celebrations, dropping everything to see someone who texts "I want to see you now." The ability to do all that without wanting anything in return, she decided, is precisely what makes it love.
The Origin of Love — What Her Mother Taught Her
Ask Nagisa what kind of woman she wants to become, and her answer is immediate: "someone like my mum." The specifics say everything. Her mother woke at 4 a.m. every morning to pack lunches for Nagisa and her older sister, drove them to and from the station every day to match their train schedules, and — while holding down her own job — drove all the way to pick Nagisa up after late MV shoots. When Nagisa began her idol career, her mother said nothing and simply pushed her forward. "I've spent my whole life wondering whether I could ever love someone the way she loved me," Nagisa said.
The turning point came around age 17 or 18. Until then, she had been too focused on surviving to spare much thought for others; she wanted to look around at the people near her but simply didn't have the capacity. Through a range of experiences, a genuine desire to do things for others began to take root. Those who helped her through the hardest periods — she still carries the resolve to repay them with her whole life.
The "Mutual Love" Between Nagisa and Her Fans
Five to six years into her idol career, the relationship Nagisa has built with fans represents a particular kind of love. At a recent calendar signing event, fan after fan told her the same thing: "All we need is for you to eat well and keep smiling — that's our happiness." Those words moved her deeply. Not a demand, not a request for anything specific, just a hope that she is well. "That," she said, "is what I think love looks like."
Nagisa feels the same in return: she simply wants fans to be happy, and that back-and-forth has compounded over the years into layered trust. Her memory plays a role too — she can still picture every face that watched her very first time on stage as an idol, and she remembers everyone who has come to her birthday events over the years. She also touched on the discretion fans show in her fan club: even when she vents her vulnerabilities there, she trusts it stays private. "Fans are my treasure. I'm so glad I met them."
A Dog's Pure Love, and Words from Mei
Talking about love inevitably brought her dog to mind. Dogs, she said, offer a love completely free of pretense. Human relationships are tangled up with complicated emotions like jealousy; a dog simply, purely shows you that you are number one. "When you're worn out by the human world, there's nothing like just being with your dog" — and that, too, she counts as a genuine form of love.
When Mei returned after the solo segment, the word that had stayed with her was "sacrifice." She realized that Nagisa is someone who has always experienced love and pain as a pair. Nagisa, in turn, quietly admitted that years of performing a crafted version of herself have left her unsure which parts are real and which are not — and that this confusion might be at the root of how hard she finds life. Mei closed the episode with a gentle send-off: "It's okay to receive other people's kindness and love just as it is."
Takeaways
- Nagisa defines love as "wanting to protect someone even at personal cost" — an emotion you sustain without ever expecting anything in return.
- Her mother, who woke at 4 a.m. every day to make lunches and shuttled her to and from work without complaint, remains her lifelong model for what love looks like in action; a shift around age 17–18 sparked her own desire to give that kind of care to others.
- Fans, with whom she has built a mutual trust over five to six years, and her dog, whose affection is free of pretense and complexity, represent two distinct forms of love that sustain her.
This article is edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. It is not an official summary — please listen to the episode itself.