Yuki Suetsugu

ちはやふる 35

Chihaya, Arata, and Taichi go to compete in a team tournament, their last chance to do so as elementary school students. Beyond it is their graduation ceremony, both a fork in the road and a lesson in how painful endings can be. Chihaya goes on to high school, but continues to be weighed down by her emotions. She knows that while she and her two friends are apart, they all still share the same passion for karuta. But when she calls Arata to tell him about her latest karuta promotion, he tells her something unbelievable. Chihaya is sure that karuta connects her to her friends, but is it really true? Find out in volume 2 of Chihayafuru!

Chihayafuru

The Mizusawa High Karuta Club fights through heated team matches in their pursuit of a berth in the national tournament, believing in and supporting one another the whole way. Together with her team, Chihaya is able to glimpse Omi Shrine—not in her dreams, but in person at last. What kind of overwhelming emotions could the sight make her feel? Meanwhile, Arata also steps foot on the grounds of Omi Shrine, but he carries a burden that he has yet to share with anyone. Watch as these closest of friends are driven by their passion all the way to Omi Shrine in volume 4 of Chihayafuru!

Shinobu Wakamiya, the reigning Queen, leaves a mark on Chihaya with her unbelievable strength. Everyone is struck by the way Chihaya throws herself back into practice, in search of greater heights. She has to become even faster, even sharper. The next official tournament the club enters, its members all begin working toward the goals they've set for themselves. But in the first round, Chihaya goes up against an opponent who discovers a surprising weakness in her game... In the process, she discovers she competes against one thing, and one thing only—her heart.

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.

The qualification tournament for the Master Match and Queen Match draws near, which only players at the highest rank, Class A, are allowed to enter. A flustered Taichi enters a tournament alone in search of a promotion to Class A, hoping to catch up to Chihaya and Arata. But not only does he meet Arata there, Chihaya also decides to pursue Taichi so that she can cheer him on. The three are reunited by fate, but what could be going through their hearts and minds? As the three chase after their dreams, the bonds that karuta built bring them face to face once more!

The heated East Japan qualification tournament to decide who will challenge the Master and Queen continues. Chihaya gains momentum when she defeats a speedy sixth grader in her first match. However, a shadowy figure watches over the energetic matches played by these elite competitors. Who will win their way through and earn the right to stand on this much dreamed-of stage? The Master and Queen make a joint appearance at last as the veil is lifted on the highest level of the karuta world!

Karuta players dream of the Master and Queen Matches, a stage that only the chosen can take. While Shinobu Wakamiya lacks an edge during the beginning of her best-of-three Queen Match title defense, she uses her overwhelming strength to win two and succeed in her first defense. Next is the third game of the best-of-five Master Match. Glued to the TV, Chihaya and friends are left breathless by the sight of Master Hisashi Suou.

Both the Mizusawa High Karuta Club and Hokuou Academy have made it out of the Tokyo qualifiers, one of the toughest districts across the country. They go next to Omi Shrine for the finals, aiming to win it all. There they find a daunting wall consisting of unconventional tactics and the extraordinary players who use them. Mizusawa's goal has always been to be the best in Japan, a distant dream that can only be attained by a tenacious team that puts in the effort to win their way through the tournament. Chihaya and the rest believe in themselves and in their friends as the battle begins!

The finals tournament of the National Team Tournament, where a loss means you're out. Chihaya and the rest of the Mizusawa High team have made it out of the preliminary block stages, and they now face Akaishi First Girls' High School, who has the skills of Megumu Ousaka, the West Japan representative who many hope will become a candidate for Queen. Two strong wills collide in the close battle between Chihaya and Megumu, but the other members of Mizusawa are having a tough time gaining momentum. The 5-on-5 match is becoming a struggle where each member naturally begins to give everything they have. Some will win, and others will lose! Who will be the first to get three wins and advance themselves to the team tournament finals?!

Chihayafuru 14

The finals tournament of the national team championships. Eight powerhouse schools that have won their way through their block preliminaries now face off in a single-elimination knockout tournament. Among the teams, Chihaya and the others find Megumu Ousaka, a girl they remember well from last year's match to decide who would challenge the Queen. How will Mizusawa High fare against the fierce attacks of a prominent school led by a candidate for Queen?!

Chihayafuru 13

The team tournament at the High School Karuta Championships. Chihaya and the rest of Mizusawa High faces off against the elite squad and frequent title holder that is Fujisaki High. Each of their players is forced into a difficult battle where they feel the difference in skill between them and their opponent. Chihaya is paired up against Rion, who like Chihaya has a strong "feel" for the game. Chihaya knows that she cannot allow Rion to build any more of a lead and launches a daring attack in order to force the momentum back on her side. But just as she leaps for a card, a sharp pain runs through her finger. How will Chihaya get out of this predicament...? In Volume 15, Taichi's bout holds the key to everyone's fate.

Chihayafuru 15

The national high school karuta championships. Chihaya and the rest of the Mizusawa team have at last become team tournament winners, and their excitement is still fresh as they begin the next day's individual tournament. Players from Chihaya's past such Arata and Queen Shinobu now finally make their appearance. The Mizusawa team aims put a winner in the tournaments for every Class and vows to give it everything they have, but Chihaya's anxiety only gets worse and worse due to the finger she injured in the previous day's team tournament. It's time to kick off the star-studded individual tournament!

Chihayafuru 16

The second day of the national high school karuta championships, when the individual tournament is played. In Class A, Chihaya's childhood friend Arata, whose grandfather is an Eternal Master, faces off against Shinobu, the current Queen and high school student. Meanwhile in Class B, Taichi, another Mizusawa Karuta Club member, goes up against Rion, from Fujisaki's powerhouse team. After injuring her finger, Chihaya loses in the semi-finals to Shinobu, and so she goes to watch Taichi's Class B match, a white-hot battle with a breathtaking trajectory. What will Chihaya see in Taichi's match? How will Arata's bout go?! As the tournament reaches its climax, who is going to be the one left with tears of joy in their eyes?!

Chihayafuru 17

Fall, the season facing down the Master and Queen Match Preliminaries. The Yoshino Club Tournament has finally been narrowed down to the top 8, and four members of the Shiranami Club remain, including both Chihaya and Taichi. Waiting for them are players such as Arata, who has come from Fukui, and Sudo from Houkou. Chihaya is matched up against Inokuma, a former queen who uses as weapons her good ears and unique placements. Will Chihaya be able to attack this opponent with a solid defense? The firm wills of these players who seek greater heights give rise to unexpected twists and turns.

Chihayafuru 19

The finals of the Yoshino Club Tournament's Class A division. As this long day comes to an end, so do the raging head-to-head battles between powerhouse players. Among the losers are Arata, former Queen Inokuma, Sudo from Hokuou, and Harada-sensei. Yet they all remain, waiting to see who will come out the lone victor. Chihaya and Taichi, both members of the same club, have made their way through the tournament and face off in a sanctioned match at last--with their first meeting being at these grand finals! The heated air swirls and sweat flies as the two battle with suffocating fervor. How will it all conclude?!

Chihayafuru 20

The High School Karuta Tournament has come to an end and Chihaya has come back to school with the rest of the team, each of whom have made steps forward after earning solid results. Chihaya also practices hard for the preliminaries so that she can play against Shinobu in the Queen Match, but she's shocked to learn that her school trip is scheduled for the same time as this initial tournament. Meanwhile, her injured right hand makes a full recovery at last. The time is right to enter the Yoshino Club Tournament, and waiting for her in Class A are Taichi, Arata from Fukui, and plenty of rivals. It looks like an all-out brawl is about to break out!

Chihayafuru 18

The time has come for the top challengers who made their way through the East and West Japan preliminaries to face one another and decide who will play in the Master and Queen Matches. Representing West Japan is Megumu Ousaka, showing her tenacity by making it to this deciding match two years in a row, and Arata, who navigated his way through his match with Murao, another member of his club. Facing them from East Japan are former Queen Haruka Inokuma and Harada, a veteran player. These four powerhouses have now come together to play a best-of-three match. It's time for never-before-seen battles to begin between these players who strive to make it to the distant summit!

Chihayafuru 22

The matches to determine the challengers to the Master and Queen reach their finale. Just everyone is sure of the young prodigy Arata's superiority thanks to his perfect offense and defense, the veteran Harada begins attacking with unimaginable ferocity. Chihaya, Taichi, and his former rivals are left breathless by the sight of him putting everything he has on the line. Now that the hall is quiet once more, only the sound of their beating hearts echo throughout it!

Chihayafuru 23

Harada, a karuta instructor, is at last able to stamp the ticket allowing him to challenge for the top spot in competitive karuta. Not long after, Chihaya and Taichi find themselves given the opportunity to play practice matches against Hisashi Suou, the current Master. How does Harada respond when Chihaya comes to him with the Master's so-called "weakness" that she grasped during their bout...? Meanwhile, Queen Shinobu Wakamiya is busy polishing her own weapons as much as possible as her own deciding match approaches.

Yuki Suetsugu

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