long holiday (esp. Golden Week in late April and early May)
outcast; odd man out; pariah
to strike (gold, oil, etc.); to find (e.g. buried treasure); to dig up
small child; kid; kiddy; tot; rug rat; ankle-biter
specimen; sample; object to be examined
regular holiday; fixed day off; regular closing day
precipitous cliff; sheer precipice; critical situation
parenthood; parent or someone with children on the way (esp. an expecting mother); (of a fish) containing roe (eggs)
wrong; different; not like that
in a crowd; ganging up (on); joining forces
seeing (or dropping) off, then later picking up or going to meet (the same person)
how others look at you; what others think about you
lonely person; someone who easily succumbs to loneliness
art of war; strategy; tactics
messy; confused; chaotic; complaining about various things
upper reaches of a river; upstream
to enter (house, room, etc.); to step in
we are of equal status in this regard; we are in the same boat; the same to you; the feeling is mutual
Warring States period (of Japanese history, approx. 1467-1568 CE); Sengoku period; Warring States period (of Chinese history, 403-221 BCE); era of vicious competition
to slacken; to loosen; to relax; to slack off (e.g. one's work, attention); to not put one's heart in
sink or swim; all or nothing; hit or miss; make or break
Yamaguchi (city, prefecture)
casual; doing something without taking it too seriously
no use; useless; not fit for its purpose
watching a (sports) game; spectating; observing (military operations)
accounting; finance; bill (at a restaurant); check; accountant; treasurer
taking a breather; relaxation; vent hole
opposite effect; adverse effect; backfiring
spirit; drive; vigour; ambition; aspiration
indicates the target of an activity; -ee (e.g. employee, examinee, trustee)
surname; family name; last name
law; regulation; rule; code; agreement; arrangement
guess; conjecture; surmise
on the same occasion; at the same time; coincidentally; along with; partly (to do, for)
to hold back others from achieving success; to stand in the way of; to sabotage
on good terms with; on cordial terms with; getting along well with; to make friends with; to be good friends with; to get along with
ambush; lying in wait for an ambush
moving (dwelling, office, etc.); changing residence
eyesight; vision; visual acuity
contrary to expectations; or so we thought, but ...
that being the case; in that case; if that's how it's going to go