to surround; to encircle; to besiege; to lay siege to; to play (go, shogi, etc.)
news (from somebody); letter; contact; (somebody's) whereabouts; (somebody's) movements
meeting; conference; session; assembly; council; convention
obligation; duty; charge; responsibility
unsuited; inappropriate; improper; undeserved
competent; suitable; qualified
rivet; tack; thumbtack; drawing-pin; hobnail
Alice; Alliss; Alyce; Arisu
self-proclaimed; self-professed; professing oneself to be; calling oneself; first person
to belong to; to come under; to be affiliated with; to be subject to
hard to understand; Byzantine fashion
impassioned speech; fervent speech
to play a central role; to take a leading part
to fail; to blunder; to mess up; to be dismissed; to be fired
aim; object; expectations; prospects; something that can be relied upon; snack served with alcoholic drink; pad
truth; reality; sincerity; honesty; content; substance
to crown; to cap; to prefix with; to start with; to begin with
to be born and raised (in); to be born and brought up; to be born and bred
to try all possible means
difficult; tough; formidable; redoubtable; stubborn
to choose (a thing) at one's own discretion; to use one's discretion in choosing
let's see what you've got; show me what you've got
shifting (the burden) onto; ill effects; negative consequences; burden
while it may be true that; just because; nevertheless; not necessarily
white background; blank; female virgin
indefinite; hazy; vague; unsettled; undecided
in short; the point is; the important thing is; in a word; basically
former site (of something); site (e.g. of a demolished building)
island; one's territory (e.g. of a sex worker, organized crime gang); one's turf
to separate (by distance, time, etc.); to isolate; to interpose; to have between; to alienate; to estrange
present age; present day; today; modern era; modern times
petty underling; small fry
order of chivalry; chivalric order
the Four Heavenly Kings (Dhrtarastra, Virudhaka, Virupaksa, and Vaisravana); the big four (i.e. four leaders in a given field)
boss; leader; head; boss (difficult enemy, usu. at the end of a section or level)