Summer vacation is over, and the second school term has begun. Having learned that playing on a team expands the possibilities of karuta, Arata musters up his courage and tries to start a karuta club at his school. Meanwhile, Mizusawa High's karuta club has begun practicing in preparation for the Master/Queen qualifiers, but then they learn something that makes them doubt their chances of participating in the qualifiers at all...

The audience at the Yoshino Tournament is taken for a wild ride with so many unexpected twists: Arata, the focus of high expectations, has been defeated, and Taichi, who only just reached Class A, advances to the finals. And now it's time at last for the final round between Chihaya and Taichi, teammates who have been practicing together since they were in elementary school. The odds are in Chihaya's favor, but Taichi isn't playing his usual karuta since he declared that he would defeat her in an official match.

Suo and Shinobu win the Master and Queen matches, both defending their titles. Afterward, Taichi declines to return to Tokyo, staying behind alone for the Takamatsu Memorial Cup... and ends up playing against Arata. Meanwhile, Chihaya is shocked by Taichi getting the jump on her a second time, and she begins to wonder why he always makes his decisions without saying anything to her.