Chihaya is a girl in the sixth grade, still not old enough to even know the meaning of the word zeal. But one day, she meets Arata, a transfer student from rural Fukui prefecture. Though docile and quiet, he has an unexpected skill: his ability to play competitive karuta, a traditional Japanese card game.Chihaya is struck by his obsession with the game, along with his ability to pick out the right card and swipe it away before any of his opponents. However, Arata is transfixed by her as well, all because of her unbelievable natural talent for the game. Don't miss this story of adolescent lives and emotions playing out in the most dramatic of ways!
Atop the tatami mats at the Master and Queen Match preliminaries, players chase after their dreams. As everyone arrives at the preliminaries with special hopes in mind, Chihaya is in Kyoto on a school trip, there to make a different dream, one given to her by her precious friends and teachers, come true. Meanwhile, Taichi, who is absent from the school trip after claiming to feel unwell, heads to the East Japan preliminary, while Arata goes to West Japan's. What kind of path into the future will be paved by their efforts, hopes, and beliefs?