Souma Yukihira's yearning for good opponents is fanned some time after this trip when he, Megumi Tadokoro, and the other Autumn Election quarter-finalists are invited to the annual Autumn Leaves Viewing event. The eight Tootsuki freshmen get a rare opportunity to take tea with the Elite Ten Council, which includes Tenth Seat Erina Nakiri, who attends with her first-year peers. Despite the fact that it is portrayed as a cordial introduction between nine promising underclassmen and nine famous upperclassmen, Director Senzaemon Nakiri views this gathering for what it is: the first contact between the current ruling elite and their ultimate usurpers.