♬Music and a Cup of Coffee

Jean Kirstein

Chihaya was listening to Tare when Taichi found her in high school. It was the same poem that secured her first win against Shinobu. Taichi's love was described as Shinoburedo and Koi su cho by Kana-chan. Yura was the last poem read in their 2nd-year nationals competition, the card that Taichi offered to the gods and staked all his good fortune into while hoping for Chihaya to wake up and see his fate. The Kaze wo poem provided the words of allegory for the heartbreak Chihaya experience at Taichi's departure. Se was the poem Chihaya sent to Taichi on their 3rd-year regionals, a poem about asking fate for a chance to meet again. It was only when Chihayaburu was recited that Chihaya noticed Taichi's arrival in their 3rd-year nationals. Despite its disappearance, she thought it was okay as long as Taichi was with her. The same poem also helped Taichi win against Sudo despite disassociating himself from it; and against Arata, despite his strong defense, leading to his first win against him. Fu was Taichi's second-best take against Arata, moving Chihaya to tears. It was also Chihaya's first card she took like a real karuta player and what Taichi admired ever since. Kimi ga tame described Taichi's secret support for Chihaya in the Queen match, collecting the 7 green herbs that symbolize luck for her. Chihaya took Su, a poem she described as "romantic" during her first realization that Taichi has always been with her, which happened after she recalled the memory of Taichi saying his feelings for her might fade away someday. Su was also the poem Taichi used to communicate with her during the Qualifier, motivating her not to give up despite having trouble with Makino-san’s reading. Tachi was the card Chihaya voluntarily kept, and was the card of fate, winning her the Queen title. On the fusuma, Tachi, is a poem that has always been a pair for Chiha for a thousand years. Tachi, the poem that reaffirmed Chihaya’s feelings of Taichi’s constant presence with her all the way from the very beginning. Chihaya described Taichi’s confession to her as a poem until it was her turn to recite her own poem to him with the simple words of “I love you”.