vague recollection; faint memory
oar; all; (pulling an) all-nighter; staying up all night long
yakuman; win worth 32000 points (or, if dealer, 48000 points)
mock exam; practice exam; practice test
thoroughly; completely; severely; harshly; (arch.) scattered; (arch.) disconnected
first; foremost; most important; best; greatest; above all
preparatory school (for entrance examinations); cram school; cramming school
autumn period; autumn term (e.g. school); fall period; fall term
just like that; in the twinkling of an eye; in the blink of an eye; (lit.) in the time it takes to say "ah!"
kickoff party; rally; pep party
to take the name of; to call oneself; to pretend; to feign; to purport
horseplay; fooling around
exclamation of surprised disappointment, disgust, or worry (yuck, ick, ack, eeew, crap!, blech, gross)
emptiness; hollowness; vacancy; inanity; pointlessness; meaninglessness
drumming (noise); beating; rapidly; quickly; continuously; one after the other
every day; daily; day after day; days (e.g. good old days)
to go away; to become more distant; to fade away; to be estranged
performance; appearance (in a stage, film, TV show, etc.)
incompletion; incomplete; unfinished
always; without exception; necessarily; certainly; without fail; positively
the New Year begins; the New Year starts
New Year (esp. first three days); first month of the year; January
beginning; start; first (in line, etc.); origin; such as ...; not to mention ...
response (felt in the hands); resistance; reaction; response; effect
just barely; only just; at the very limit; at the last moment
reasonably; fairly; hurriedly; in a rush; approximately; about
school centred on preparing students to get into university; high-level school a person has entered
finding employment; getting a job
job; work; duties; trade; skill
admission; incorporation; enlistment; enrollment
next (e.g. "next April"); forthcoming; coming; to come; to arrive; to be due to
ideally; if one were to wish for more
festival; feast; carnival
to live up to expectations; to meet expectations
ordinary person; average person; mediocre person
one-sided; unilateral; arbitrary
ring; circle; hoop; wheel; circle (e.g. of friends)