At the beginning of the second volume of the novel, we are introduced to the narrator, who is a member of the "Nagumo club" , a group of students at a high school in Fujisaki. The group consists of the students from the high school, as well as a few other students from other schools in the city. The narrator is impressed by the students' ability to play the game of karuta . He is also impressed by their skill in the game, and he is impressed that they are able to play it so well. He feels that they will be able to compete with the best students in the world. He also feels that the students are not talented enough to compete at the highest level. He wonders why they are unable to play at the same level as the best players in the country. He notes that the other students are taking notes for their future rounds of play, and that the advisor is giving the students solid instruc-tions for the upcoming rounds. He thinks that he is the only one who is giving them a stupid lesson. He asks if the sensei has said anything about him. The sensei replies that he has said something about him, but he is not on a high level where he could do such a thing. He says that part of his role in the club is to watch the players' play and to cheer them up. He wants to cheer the students up, but they are silent. He tells them to start making noise, and they do so. He thanks them all for their support, and says that all of Japan has won the senior high school division. The team division has also been won, and the team from the city of Fujisaki has been beaten. He wishes that he could stay and watch the whole thing, as he is too busy to do so