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.

A new school year has started and the Karuta club must get new members or face penalties. Discussing the goals of the club, Chihaya discovers the team is not as unified as she thought.