Matoba

Matoba is protective of his own club's interests and understandably resists arrangements that force the band to sacrifice practice space for another activity.

He is also appreciative when the karuta players make a genuine effort to accommodate the band. His response shows that the conflict is practical rather than rooted in hostility toward karuta.

Matoba is not established as a competitive karuta player. His professional and extracurricular responsibilities instead center on music and supervising Mizusawa's school band.

His club's musical activity makes it particularly difficult to share nearby space with competitive karuta, where accurately hearing tiny differences in the reader's opening sounds is essential.

Matoba appears when Mizusawa's clubs negotiate the use of limited school facilities. Taeko Miyauchi explains that the band and Karuta Club cannot practice effectively in adjacent rooms because of the noise.

Chihaya Ayase eventually allows the band to use the room above the karuta clubroom during the summer break. Matoba is delighted by the gesture, and the band responds by giving the Karuta Club a private performance.

Taeko Miyauchi is Matoba's fellow teacher and represents the Karuta Club's interests during the dispute over practice space.

Chihaya Ayase helps resolve the clubs' conflict by making space available to Matoba's band.