The final two teams in the competition is a repeat of Mizusawa vs. Hokuo. Chihaya wants to challenge them straight up, no tricks. A player on the Hokuo team will make sure it happens.

Individually, Mizusawa players have grown, but Hokuo will try to use Mizusawa's lack of team playing experience to take back the Tokyo regional trophy.

The Yoshino Tournament features adults and students alike in many impressive matches, and among the participants is Inokuma Haruka, the former Queen who's just returned from maternity leave. But although Chihaya has recovered from the surgery on her finger and regained the use of her dominant hand, she still isn't fully on top of her game. Meanwhile, Taichi has mixed feelings when he finds out that Arata is trying to start a karuta club.

Chihaya chooses to go on her class trip in hopes to come closer to fulfilling her dream of being a teacher, but she spends the entire time lost in space, wondering how Taichi is doing at the Master tournament qualifiers. Harada and Inokuma are also participating in the East Japan qualifiers, but as Taichi tries to quietly psych himself up, someone unexpected shows up to get in his way. Meanwhile, at the West Japan qualifiers, Master Suo makes a surprising comment to Arata.