After Ms. Miyauchi tells Chihaya that she needs five members to start an official club, Chihaya starts recruiting. One day, Oe Kanade, a fan of classical literature whose family owns a traditional clothing store, visits the karuta club. She is shocked by the gap between the elegant karuta of the Imperial Court and competitive karuta. However, Chihaya wants Kanade to realize how fun competitive karuta can be.

Kanade has joined the karuta club as the third member, while Chihaya continues to recruit members. First, she scouts the second-smartest student in their grade, Komano Tsutomu, who happens to be in her class. Chihaya calls him Desktomu-kun. However, he tells her that karuta is just a game and he would rather spend that time studying. Chihaya insists that Desktomu-kun play a game first and she drags him to the clubroom.

The karuta club only needs one more member to become an official club. Chihaya and the other members continue working to recruit members, but they're having trouble finding anyone who's interested in joining. But then one day, Chihaya runs into Porky, her old opponent from back when she was in grade school. Porky is on the tennis team and he refuses to join the karuta club. However, Chihaya perceives that Porky still loves karuta, so she challenges him to a match.

The karuta club has become an official club. Chihaya announces that the five of them will make it to the national tournament. The beginners, Kana-chan and Desktomu-kun, are worried, but Chihaya shows no mercy. Chihaya is set on making a strong karuta team and aiming for the top. And so, they decided to hold a camp.

The Mizusawa High School Karuta Club members visit the Omi Jingu shrine to pray for their victory. However, Chihaya is acting strangely during her match. Meanwhile, Arata reflects upon his separation from karuta and his grandfather as he heads towards Omi Jingu.

Chihaya has recovered in time for the individual tournament. Players are grouped by their rank, and the youngest Queen in history, Wakamiya Shinobu, is in the Class A bracket, and Chihaya's second round opponent. Chihaya is overwhelmed by the Queen's ability and unable to take a single card. As she's about to give up, she remembers her first match against Arata back in grade school—

Chihaya is helpless against the Queen, but she still manages to take a few cards. But this match has taken her one step closer to understanding what true strength is. Meanwhile, Taichi has advanced to the Class B final. The Mizusawa High School karuta club members have gathered to cheer him on. Taichi has shown that he is willing to move forward, but can he achieve victory?

The national tournament has ended, and the members of Mizusawa's karuta club have established some individual goals. Taichi and Porky need to reach Class A. Kana-chan and Desktomu-kun need to start playing in tournaments. And Chihaya is practicing for the East qualifier. However, Dr. Harada suddenly tells Chihaya to stop taking cards with her speed, and she has to rethink how she plays karuta.

Chihaya finally gets to play her first Class A match, while the other members are looking to advance their rank through a strong tournament showing. Chihaya's opponent Kanai Sakura, who has 35 years of karuta experience. Chihaya is faster, but she has trouble taking cards. Her opponent constantly moves cards into positions that are difficult for her, and Chihaya soon realizes how tough Class A is. Will Chihaya be able to learn something from her match with Sakura?

The Mizusawa High School karuta club is gaining experience by participating in tournaments. However, Chihaya's grades are so bad that she is no longer allowed to participate, leaving Taichi to attend the next tournament by himself. There, he runs into Arata, who's returned to karuta. When Taichi and Chihaya see Arata playing karuta...

Chihaya is playing in the East Queen qualifier for a chance to face the Queen again. Her first opponent is the grade schooler Ririka, said to be a child prodigy. As Chihaya watches Ririka use speed play karuta, she begins to understand what it means to play karuta without speed.

Chihaya lost to Yumi by four cards. The loss is a painful one, but after watching Dr. Harada and Tsuboguchi play their hearts out, she realizes she still has much to learn. Meanwhile, Arata lost in the fourth round of the West qualifier. He regrets spending time away from karuta and practices hard to make up. Both of them are learning and taking the next step forward.