The 2007 keigo guideline’s early Q&A asks blunt learner questions: Must I use keigo with people I don’t respect? With much younger clients or teachers? Does keigo block being myself?
Not admiration — social stance in the scene
Modern keigo is not “I personally worship you.” It marks how you treat roles in that communication — client, teacher, senior. Private dislike does not erase the scene’s expected care. You can keep moral judgment private and still choose wording that keeps the relationship workable.
Younger counterparties still get scene keigo
A young sales contact or a young homeroom teacher may be junior in age and still senior in role (client / teacher). Age alone is a weak rule. Ask: who is the beneficiary, who holds the institutional role, what does this scene usually mark?
“Being yourself” is still a wording choice
Keigo is self-expression in the guideline’s sense: you choose how to show stance. Dropping keigo can be intentional intimacy — or accidental roughness. Owning your register is different from refusing all care for the other person.