decapitation; beheading; firings; dismissals; small samurai sword used for decapitation
steel; sword steel; sword
astringent; bitter; austere; elegant (and unobtrusive); sour (look); glum
brightness; brilliance; brilliancy; radiance; glitter
stuffed toy; stuffed animal; plush toy; soft toy; cuddly toy
suspense (esp. in a film, novel, etc.)
(establishing a) big lead; (winning by a) huge margin; breaking away (from the field)
swordsman; swordswoman; fencer
god of death; death deity; Death; Grim Reaper
composition; construction; formation; makeup; structure; organization
intuition; instinct; hunch
talking while standing; standing around talking
to be smart; to be cool; to be sharp; to be stylish
modern; trendy; hip; in; up-to-date
young; youth; young person
sweetness; sugary taste; sweets; dessert; cake
practice; practising; training; study
maiko; apprentice geisha (in Kyoto)
overall; general; as a whole
being left out; being ostracized
taking a commemorative photo
to chase away; to drive away; to drive out
to feel down; to feel sad; to be in a slump (business, economy, etc.); to be in an unfavourable condition; to fall into (e.g. a hole)
to think hard; to brood over; to worry too much (about); to torment oneself (with the thought of)
(jumping) nimbly; light-footed; boing; used at sentence end to affect cuteness
to sprain; to twist; to dampen (enthusiasm); to discourage; to dishearten
in a ward; within the ward; within the zone; within the district
looking at someone (with upturned eyes); glancing upwards (at someone)
metal sake jug; sake warmer
not knowing one's social position; overweening; overreaching; forgetting who one is
to bend; to curve; to turn; to be awry; to be askew
since; henceforth; ever since
hard worker; hardworking person
incompetence; inefficiency; inability; incompetent person
extremely rude (impertinent, impolite)
on the road; on the street; in the street; on the way
right in front; just opposite; under the nose
meeting hall; assembly hall
multi-tenant building; building containing a mixture of businesses, shops and residential apartments
to take refuge in; to succeed in running away
mental preparedness; being braced for; being steeled for
to be within others' sight; to be visible; to be conspicuous; to attract public attention; to come under observation
one may well say so, but ...; even more than