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.

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—