work; workmanship; craftsmanship; artifice; trick; device
simple; plain; modest; frugal; reserved
early morning; early hours; early in the morning
refined; elegant; graceful; modest; reserved; restrained
willingly; voluntarily; of one's own accord
meddling (in); butting in; interference; poking one's nose into
going to kindergarten (nursery school, etc.)
to bend; to curve; to turn; to be awry; to be askew
to draw in; to take in; to retract; to withdraw; to take back (e.g. words)
full stomach; bellyful; (eat) heartily; to one's heart's content
shabby; unsightly; unkempt
dog (Canis (lupus) familiaris); canine; squealer; rat; loser; asshole
bento; Japanese box lunch
with a pitter-patter; choked up (with emotion); heart-wringing; momentary tightening of one's chest caused by powerful feelings (e.g. parting with a loved one)
seeming; giving the appearance of; giving one the feeling of
diet; dieting; losing weight (through dieting, exercise, etc.)
hungrily; voraciously; ravenously; greedily; avariciously; eagerly
-ical; -ive; -like; -ish; (something) like; along the lines of
to step forward; to step forth; to advance; to start; to embark on; to set forth on
just before; on the verge of; on the brink of; just in front of; just ahead of
field; farm; stray (dog, cat, etc.); stranger (in an online multiplayer game); random player
to be encouraged by initial success; to get a taste for; to yearn for more
to settle down; to stay (for good); to stay long; to stay on
in that case; (might not be what was expected or hoped for but) if that's the case
cat (esp. the domestic cat, Felis catus); feline; shamisen; geisha; wheelbarrow; clay bed-warmer; bottom (submissive partner of a homosexual relationship)
base (of operations); site; location; center; foothold; stronghold
to become thin; to lose weight; to slim; to become impoverished (of soil); to become sterile; to become infertile
pluralizing suffix; nickname-forming suffix
to dart away; to dart off; to gallop away
breaking up (a meeting, gathering, etc.); dispersal (e.g. of a crowd); dissolution (of a company, organization, etc.); winding-up; dissolution (of the Diet, Parliament, etc.)
to ask a question; to begin to ask a question
stealthy steps; spurt to overtake a leading horse just before the finish line
to retreat; to back off; to draw back; to step back; to shrink away
stealthily; secretly; in secret
provincial city; provincial town; suburban city; regional towns and cities
main; principal; main dish; main course; main part; principal part
to be conspicuous; to stand out
branch office; branch store