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!
Chihaya is forced to swallow her tears at her first national tournament appearance when, of all things, she is forced to withdraw from the team competition. Though disappointed and frustrated, she enters the individual competition thanks to her friends' encouragement. The battle between the best players in the world begins, and then she appears. Shinobu Wakamiya, the youngest Queen in the game's history, and the only karuta player who can claim to stand unrivaled.