Episode Title:Now the Flower Blooms.Episode Description:First-year Mizusawa high school student Chihaya Ayase tries to form a karuta club, but no one takes the club seriously. When she is reunited with Taichi Mashima, her friend from East Ōsato elementary school, she remembers when she met Arata Wataya in sixth grade. In an extended flashback, the other elementary school students, led by Taichi, make fun of Arata and his Fukui accent. Chihaya stands up for Arata and discovers his amazing proficiency at competitive karuta. He tells her that his dream is to become a karuta master, the top-ranked male player.