国小六年级的绫濑千早，邂逅了从福井前来的转学生绵谷新。乖巧又沉默寡言的新，竟然懂得一项出人意料的特殊技能。那就是小仓百人一首的竞技花牌。新专注抢牌的模样，震撼了千早的心。

宫内老师说，只要凑齐五个成员，就让花牌社正式成立，於是千早开始热心的找人入社。某一天，喜好古典文学的吴服店女儿大江奏，造访了花牌社。小奏觉得花牌是优美的宫廷游戏，没想到竞技花牌跟她的想像落差那么大，小奏感到非常惊愕。而千早却希望能让她了解竞技花牌的乐趣。

小奏成为第三名社员，让千早更加的努力出去寻找社员。她首先找到的是与她同班，并且成绩位居全学年第二名的驹野勉。千早叫他“小桌同学”并邀请他入社。然而，却认为花牌只是游戏，说他要用汀狙恁A对花牌没兴趣。千早强行拖着小桌到社团办公室，对他说只要玩一次就知道了──。

千早晋升A级之后的第一场，也是事关千早以外的社员能否进晋的正式比赛于来临了。千早的对手是玩花牌玩了35年的金井樱。以速度取胜的千早，却始终抢不到牌，而且，比赛中花牌的排法渐渐变成千早不擅长的型态，让千早深刻感觉到A级的强大。受到金井樱的花牌所礼G的千早，能从中感受到什么吗？

千早以四张牌的差距输给了由美。虽然觉得很不甘心，但是在原田老师的鼓励下，又看到坪口大展身手的模样，让她知道自己有多不成熟。另一方面，新在西日本预赛的第四场比赛中败退。新很后悔自己离开花牌那麼长的时间，也更加努力的练习花牌。他们各自都成长了一个阶段，开始迈出崭新的一步。

繁华皆已过，千早因为在东京都的预赛中落败，而陷入沮丧的情绪中。母亲看到她连练习花牌都提不起劲，就带她出门去了。瑞泽高中花牌社在家人的和学校的支持下，终於为了参加全国大会，前往近江神宫。

瑞泽高中花牌社在团体赛中赢得冠军，成为日本第一。赢得冠军的真实感，以及一路走来的痛苦艰辛，在千早的脑中涌现。此时，千早感觉到手指的痛楚，前去医院治疗。当众人都在担心千早的伤势时，大会迎向了第二日，女王和新都会出场的个人赛即将展开。

太一拿下了B级个人赛的冠军，千早开心得像是自己的事情一样。A级决赛的新与女王，是新以些微的差距领先。他们在众多的观众面前，持续一进一退的攻防战。千早因为自己只能坐在一旁观战而感到不甘心，同时也为二人的强大实力感到震憾，渐渐被两人的花牌所吸引。结果会是谁赢得冠军呢？

新与女王的比赛终於结束。打倒了号称最强女王的新，受到会场的瞩目，但千早却无法坦率的为他感到高兴。为什麼可以那样比花牌？在决赛中，亲眼看到新的花牌，千早内心的想法是‧‧‧

Mizusawa High School's karuta club claimed victory in the team competition for the first time at the Nationals in July. However, before they could even take time to relax, Chihaya and Taichi agreed to take part in the Fujisaki High School karuta club's training camp. Awaiting them was Coach Sakurazawa's brutal training regime of stretching, jogging, and playing seven matches each day!

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...

Inokuma, who won the Queen title four times in a row; Sudo, who can throw an opponent off with his words alone; Murao, the fourth seat in the Nagumo Society; and Arata, who ended the Queen's undefeated record. The Shiranami Society members are faced with four powerful opponents, but Harada's insistence brings the other three back to the mindset of playing offensive karuta. How these four matches will end is anyone's guess!

Arata wonders why he feels so relieved to learn that Taichi lost his match, even as dark memories of a similar feeling at the Yoshino Tournament come back to him, leaving him unable to concentrate fully on his match in the finals. His opponent, Murao, realizes that Arata isn't himself and sees an opportunity, but then...

It's the day of the Master and Queen challenger finals. Dr. Harada and Arata are competing for the chance to challenge the master, while Inokuma and Megumu battle it out to challenge the Queen. Harada confides in Arata that he once played against his grandfather, Eternal Master Wataya Hajime, and expresses his joy at being able to play karuta with Arata. A passionate battle spanning multiple generations begins at last!

The veteran players Dr. Harada and Inokuma were the winners in the first round, but Dr. Harada chose to yield the second round to preserve his strength for the third. Arata starts to feel sucked into Dr. Harada's pace, but after receiving some advice from Chihaya, he remembers how his grandpa, the Eternal Master, used to play. Both of them enter the third round with one win and one loss as the battle to determine who will challenge the Master begins!

"You can't be Queen." Chihaya didn't lose heart even after being soundly defeated in her practice match with the Master, but she can't help feeling stunned by his comment. And Taichi, after seeing the Master's play style up close, begins to think about the style of karuta he wants to play. Christmas is also around the corner, and the Mizusawa Karuta Club has a plan in mind...

Both the Master and Queen matches come down to luck of the draw in an intense first round, ending in wins for Shinobu and Harada. Shinobu is shaken after learning that her grandmother, a politician, sees her as no more than a walking advertisement, as well as the fact that Chihaya chose her class trip over a chance to play in the Queen match, and she begins to break down in the second round.

Harada leads Suo with two wins and one loss as the Master match enters its fourth round. Harada has studied everything about Suo, including the weakness that Chihaya told him about, and he dominates the match with his trademark offensive karuta. Suo remains calm despite Harada's strong momentum, recalling what his aunt, who raised him, said to him when he was a child. Her words are the reason Suo continues to play karuta.

Taichi has told Chihaya about the feelings he had kept secret for so long. Now he's left the karuta club, and Chihaya's regret over failing to notice how he felt leaves her unable to play. But some new members have joined Mizusawa's karuta club, and among them is Tamaru Midori, a Class A player. She is a promising new member, but also a troublemaker.