appointment; nomination; ordination; commission; designation
nerve; nerves; sensitivity
aim; object; expectations; prospects; something that can be relied upon; snack served with alcoholic drink; pad
late at night; small hours of the morning
meeting; assembly; gathering; congregation; convention; rally
young motorcycle-riding delinquents; bōsōzoku
healthy; sound; wholesome
to take (someone) by surprise; to do something unexpected
wild; freakish; madcap; crazy; hysterical
newcomer; neophyte; novice; newbie
check (pattern); plaid; check; inspection; check (mark); tick; checking (something) out
participation; joining; entry
to cross over; to cross; to pass through; to exceed; to surpass; to be more (than)
to cross the line; to go too far
restlessly; aimlessly; to loiter; to drift; to be restless; to fuss
possibly; by some possibility; perhaps
lost child; lost person; stray child; missing child
to carry off; to run away with; to sweep away; to take entirely for oneself; to monopolize
to be parted from; to be separated
mother; mom; wife; you (of an elderly person older than the speaker); she
Japanese league; ri; neighbourhood (under the ritsuryō system; orig. of 50 homes); unit of area (approx. 654 m by 654 m)
one's station in life; one's personal history; one's circumstances; one's lot; one's destiny; one's future
in one's own way or style
absurd; nonsensical; preposterous
to probe; to search; to sound out; to investigate
magazine; journal; periodical
contribution (to a newspaper, magazine, etc.); submission; post (on a blog, social media, etc.)
ancient times; distant past; antiquity
soldier; combatant; warrior
last; final; closing; last train (bus, flight, etc.; of the day)
social standing of a family; lineage; parentage; good family
to be raised (e.g. child); to be brought up; to grow (up)
suspicious; dubious; unreliable; indecent; unseemly
we are of equal status in this regard; we are in the same boat; the same to you; the feeling is mutual
eccentric; crank; weirdo; oddball
anticlimax; let-down; disappointment; loss of interest
to lay hands on; to touch; to care for; to look after; to make off with; to steal
snake; serpent; large snake
winding; meandering; zigzagging; zig-zag; in twists and turns; sinuously