Meijin Suou got serious, shaved his face and tied his hair back for the 5th and final match against Harada-Sensei for the Meijin title match, and destroyed him by a double digit card difference. Was about to announce his retirement when Arata (who showed up last chapter) interrupted him and told him not to retire because he was going to take the title next year, to which Suou smiled and said "okay sure, 1 more year". And Taichi, who stood there, clearly angry at himself for not being the one to say anything decided to stay back and join a tournament without telling anyone.
Huge character development with Arata telling Chihaya that he loves her. And Taichi getting mega-serious with Karuta and is basically on his way to adapting Suou's game-style and become a beast himself. And while he was always by Chihaya's side for so long, he's finally breaking away from her which is kind of bittersweet in a "I want him to win but showing Chihaya what she's missing without him around is the best way to open her eyes" sort of way. I think he's the best character in the series at this point!