Chihaya chooses to go on her class trip in hopes to come closer to fulfilling her dream of being a teacher, but she spends the entire time lost in space, wondering how Taichi is doing at the Master tournament qualifiers. Harada and Inokuma are also participating in the East Japan qualifiers, but as Taichi tries to quietly psych himself up, someone unexpected shows up to get in his way. Meanwhile, at the West Japan qualifiers, Master Suo makes a surprising comment to Arata.

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.

Suo had been controlling the number of cards taken in the Master match, but with one win and two losses in the fourth round, Harada's momentum stops his plan in its tracks by coming down to luck of the draw. Harada shows his tenacity as someone who has loved karuta and worked to become the Master more than anyone else, but Suo still manages to keep his cool. The Master match finally nears its conclusion.

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.

The club hosts an unofficial tournament, the Taichi Cup, to celebrate Taichi's birthday! Chihaya planned the event in hopes of cheering up Taichi, and she managed to gather 36 participants. The tournament is held in the style of a Genpei match, with competitors facing off in teams of three. Taichi is reminded of when he, Chihaya, and Arata used to play together in elementary school. Certain things have changed since then, but certain feelings haven't...

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.