Chihayafuru Vol. 44 — Manga Raw / Buy Official

Having lost the first game, Chihaya rethinks her tactics to read Shinobu's perfect karuta and, in the second, mounts a sharply focused attacking plan. Early on she gains traction, pressing hard enough to make the Queen play in earnest—only for the champion to shift into a higher gear. Arata steals a win from Suo and begins to touch the loneliness and the source of the Master's strength. Taichi, too, faces his own karuta anew. The three battles converge toward the endgame, and the outcome is carried into the next volume.