"I feel so tired…" Fuutarou mumbles as he walks to his classroom with Itsuki. Today was finally the day that he and Miku would have their competition about Japanese History and he was…decently prepared.

"Why is that? Didn't you sleep enough?" Itsuki asks while turning to her tutor. They had been talking for a few minutes already but upon closer inspection, she realized how bad he looked. His eyes were only partially opened and even then he seemed to be struggling to stop them from closing completely. Under his eyes were dark, heavy bags, suggesting that he had only been able to catch a couple hours of sleep.

"Yeah, I stayed up all night to prepare for today's competition between Miku and me," Fuutarou explains before he starts to yawn, cutting off whatever he was going to say next. Itsuki tilted her head in slight confusion.

"A competition? What kind of competition?"

"Well, the other day I met her in the library after running away from you. We argued about who knows more about Japanese History and then I suggested a quiz in order to figure out who truly knows more. If she wins, I won't bother her again. If I win, she will join our studying group."

"You shouldn't underestimate Miku. She knows everything about Japanese History. After all, out of all of us, she is the only one not failing History. You should be careful." Itsuki warns gently before the two of them enter their classroom. "But that doesn't explain why you stayed up all night!"

Fuutarou sits down at his place and puts down his backpack before laying down his head on his table. "I already told you, I was preparing for the competition. I borrowed some books out of the library and I read through them…well most of them. At some point, I was so tired, I just skimmed through whatever I still had to read before passing out."

"I see. But in the future, you should probably sleep some more. Staying up too late isn't healthy and especially not if you have to go to school the next day, early in the morning." Itsuki chides Fuutarou while sitting down at her seat next to him. "And also, there has to be another way to make her study."

"Raiha also told me that, but I haven't figured out a better way. Trust me, I will make her study with us."

"If you say so," Itsuki mumbles while their teacher walks into the classroom, marking the start of their first lesson of the day.

A few hours later, school ends and the teenager gets up from his seat, bag already packed. Time for Fuutarou to meet Miku in the library. He quickly says goodbye to Itsuki and then walks towards the library where Miku was probably already waiting for him. Luckily for him, he could recover from his lack of sleep by regaining his energy through the consumption of the delicious shrimp tempura that Itsuki had shared with him during lunch.

Arriving in the library right on time for their competition to start, Fuutarou looks around and sees Miku waiting at a nearby table. The table held nothing, and there were no notebooks to be seen. Did she come unprepared? Most likely not. It seemed like she had everything she needed to know stored in her head, just like Fuutarou.

He quickly walks towards the table, taking the seat opposite her so they were situated face to face. "I see that you didn't run away from our little contest. If you still want to, you are free to go." Miku chuckles, looking at Fuutarou with an arrogant face. She really was confident.

"I haven't once thought of running away. Today I'm going to show you what I'm able to do. You should be the one thinking about giving up." Fuutarou puts on a smile that was just as arrogant as Miku's expression. He was also pretty confident that he would be the one winning this competition.

"I am sorry to disappoint you, but I won't run away either." Miku grins as she leans against the back of the chair, crossing her legs. "Now let's not waste any time and start."

Fuutarou nods in agreement and then takes out a pen which he laid down in the middle of the table. "Whoever the pen will point at will start by asking the first question to the other. Let the contest begin." Fuutarou explains and then proceeds to spin the pen.

As seconds pass and the pen begins to slow to a stop, Fuutarou gets a little bit nervous. He didn't know what kinds of questions Miku would throw at him so his best chance to win was to start asking his questions first. His questions would be impossible to answer for someone like Miku. Not one of her sisters was able to answer those questions, so why should she be able to do so?

As the pen nearly stops spinning, it was pointing straight at Miku. With each moment, it was not only getting slower and slower but also getting closer to pointing at him instead. When it finally came to a full stop, the pen was pointing at Fuutarou's side.

"Seems like I'm gonna start with my first question." Fuutarou chuckles, excitingly dragging his chair closer towards the table. "Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain by Takeda Shingen. What is the meaning of Wind?"

"The answer is to 'move as swiftly as the wind'."

…

"Huh…?"

"Are you deaf? The answer is to 'move as swiftly as the wind'!"

Fuutarou was shocked. He had assumed that this question was way too hard for her to answer correctly. But just now, when he asked the question…she didn't hesitate a single moment before instantly answering it correctly. Miku was way smarter than he had expected, especially after the impression he had gotten from tutoring her sisters.

"Yeah…uh…that's correct. Now it's your turn!" Fuutarou stutters, appearing calm at first glance. But on the inside, he was beginning to feel nervous. If this question was so easy for her to answer, then his other questions should be just as easy! This was bad!

Miku waits a few seconds, thinking about what to ask her opponent, and then speaks up. "Which two daimyō joined Uesugi Tomosada in the battle of Kawagoe?"

Uesugi Tomosada...? The battle of Kawagoe..? Not only was she mocking him by asking a question about someone with a similar name to his but she also asked a question which he never thought she would ask. He remembered this story in one of the books he read but he only skimmed over it because he thought she didn't have the knowledge to ask a question like this one.

It took him a few moments before he finally remembered the names of Tomosada's allies. "Ashikaga Haruuji and Uesugi Norimasa." He exclaims happily, knowing that his answer couldn't be incorrect.

"That's right. Now it's your turn again."

While Fuutarou was nearly freaking out on the inside from the close call, Miku seemed to be just fine. She appeared to be treating this as a game rather than a competition.

After what felt like hours for Fuutarou, he finally found a question that he believed was capable of beating Miku. This one should do the job! "During the battle of Itsuki Shima, who is the general who was defeated by Mouri Motonari?"

"Sue Harukata."

…

"Huh..?"

"Su-e Ha-ru-ka-ta!"

"Oh…uh…yeah…t-that's a-absolutely right!" Fuutarou mumbles nervously. At this point, he didn't know what to do. The question she had answered in seconds was literally the hardest question he could have thought of. Maybe just skimming through all those books and staying up all night was not a good idea after all. At this rate, the possibility of him losing was astronomically high. He couldn't let that happen! He had to get her to study with him and her sisters!

"Now it's my turn again, huh?" Miku asks while staring into the distance through one of the windows on her right. She wasn't even taking this seriously! "After Hōjō Sōun laid Siege to the castle of Arai, what name was he referred to?"

The Siege of the castle of Arai..? Fuutarou didn't have the slightest idea what she was referring to. There was no way he would answer this question correctly if he panicked, so he had to take everything into consideration what he knew about Japanese history and answer using the most possible title for this Hōjō-guy.

It took him an agonizing two minutes until he finally came up with a good answer. "Isn't it obvious? He was referred to as the 'master over all Sagami'."

For a few moments, the two of them remained quiet, staring at each other in the silence. Fuutarou's heart was beating like crazy. Was he right? Why wasn't she saying anything?

Suddenly, Miku started grinning happily. "He was referred to as 'virtual master of all Sagami'." She starts giggling and stretches out her arms. "I won!"

Fuutarou was once again shocked. After a mere two questions, he had lost to her. And what was worst is that she didn't even have to make an effort to win this competition. She had been sitting there with a bored expression on her face, paying more attention to the surroundings than what he had to say.

How would he be able to get her to study with them now? He promised to stop asking her if she wants to join the tutoring sessions and he had to keep that promise now that he lost…until he got an idea.

"You still haven't won yet, Miku." He begins his gamble with a smug expression on his face. "First, you have to answer my last question. This way, we can prove that you really are smarter when it comes to Japanese History. If you answer it correctly, I will accept my defeat and won't bother you ever again." He made sure he looked like he was absolutely certain she wouldn't be able to answer his "last question"…one that he hadn't even thought of yet. But on the inside, he was freaking out, beginning to lose hope. Considering she had been able to answer every single one of his questions with ease, there was a high chance that she'd answer this last question correctly if she chose to continue.

"Alright, I will answer your final question. But you will soon see that I can answer this one too." Miku exclaims boldly and then leans back in her seat, waiting expectantly for his question.

Fuutarou began to think deeply about what to ask her. He went through the content of all the books he had read at home until something came into his head. Not a question but rather the moment he came back home with all of those books when he talked to Raiha…

"Then why don't you try to be friends with her? I'm sure that would solve your problem!"

"It's not that I don't want to be friends with her. The problem is her. Since the very first day I met her, she thinks I am someone that she cannot trust. She even calls me 'future criminal' sometimes."

"Then why don't you talk to her about it? I am sure that this is just a big misunderstanding!"

He fought the urge to smile when it all clicked together in his head. This was his last chance! He quickly formulates the question and then takes a deep breath to calm himself down before starting. Even if he couldn't win, he could at least get an answer.

"What was the reason for General Nokana to ignore and hate his Sensei Suguei?" Obviously, there never was a General Nokana and he also didn't have a teacher called Suguei. Those were anagrams of their last names, Nakano and Uesugi. She wouldn't be able to answer the question but if she was smart enough, she would see that he wasn't referencing people that had lived during the Sengoku Era. He was trying to find out why Miku disliked him.

"General Nokana…what are you talking about..?" Miku mumbles, trying to figure out who these people were. After a few seconds of thinking, she realized what he was trying to do. "No-ka-na…Na-ka-no…could it be…?"

Fuutarou nods after hearing her quiet mumbling. "Can you tell me the reason or can't you?"

"Well…I..uh.." Bit by bit, Miku's cheeks take on a bright pink color, showing how embarrassed she was about answering this question. She slowly lowers her gaze, choosing to look at her trembling hands and avoiding eye contact with Fuutarou.

Fuutarou sighs, pretending to be disappointed and fighting back a grin. In reality, he was excited to see how she would answer this question. If everything went according to the plan he had cobbled together hastily, she would open up and answer his question. If not, well, he had one more chance. "So you can't answer it, huh? I guess in that case, we will move on until someone answers a question incorrectly again."

"Wait!" Miku exclaims loudly, raising her head again and looking him in the eyes. "I can…answer your question…"

"You can? So tell me, why did Nokana hate Suguei?"

"I…uh…" Miku mumbles nervously as she turns her head to the side so Fuutarou could not look into her eyes. The color of her cheeks darkened further.

"General Nokana was too...embarrassed to admit that he needed Suguei to be his teacher. That's why he shirked learning and stood up to his teacher.

It wasn't because he didn't like him…but because he was too embarrassed. In reality, he thought that Suguei was a nice person…he even helped him out when his sister got lost…"

Fuutarou was quite surprised. All the time, Miku wasn't the type of person he thought she was. In fact, he had originally believed that she was kinda similar to Nino but not as aggressive. But in reality, she was just insecure about her own abilities. He sighs, a little guilty at forcing this confession from her, before speaking up.

"There is nothing wrong with searching for help if you can't study on your own. You should not be embarrassed about it.

Miku, if there is something you need help with, I'm always ready to help you with it. And if you really need help studying, you have been, and always will be invited to join our study sessions. I am sure your sisters would be happy if you would join them."

Miku turns to Fuutarou once again with a surprised expression on her face. "I-I can't…" She mumbles, so quiet that he could barely hear her despite the silence of the library. The color of her face turned into a crimson red, blatantly signaling how embarrassed she probably was.

"You can't? It's alright then. Well, since I've lost, I won't bother you with it ever again." Fuutarou stands up and walks a few steps towards the exit of the library before he stops and turns around to look at Miku one last time. "But there is something you should know before I go. As I've said, you are always invited to join us if you want. I won't force you to join us but I will gladly accept you as my student if you choose to accept me as my tutor. That being said, have a good day."

Fuutarou leaves the library and begins to head to the Nakanos' house. He may have been defeated, but he was still hopeful that someday, Miku would join the study sessions.

Miku, who was still sitting at the small table in the library, shyly hides her face behind her hands despite no one being there to see her. She shakes her head, tilting it forwards and backward, and mumbles nervously. "Why..? Why is he acting so nice towards me…even though I was so nasty to him…I even called him a stalker…I can't possibly show up to his tutoring sessions! How can I even face him?"

Miku remained silent for a few moments, not moving an inch. The color on her face slowly dissipates and she seemed braver than before. "I have to apologize to him first! But how..?"

Later this day, when Fuutarou held his daily tutoring session, Miku didn't join them. Instead, she waited for him to go home so she could talk to her sisters without him being around.

"Hey uh...Can I ask you about something...?" Miku asks whilst walking down the stairs to the living room, soon after Fuutarou had bid farewell to the three sisters he had been teaching.

"What is it, Miku?" Itsuki replies as she puts away her notebooks.

"Could it be that you need help with a boy~?" Ichika chuckles while standing up and walking closer to her little sister.

"Well uh...yes..." Miku mumbles while lowering her gaze nervously. Ichika blinks, surprised but quickly recovering.

"Oh~, Could it be that you are in love?"

"What? Miku is in love? Who is it?" Yotsuba jumps up in shock and runs towards her sister. "Tell me, tell me!" She bounces slightly while asking, a curious look on her face.

Miku blushes and puts her hands in front of her face to hide her flustered expression. "It's not like that!" Miku lowers her hands briefly, allowing them to see the conflict on her face. "It's about Uesugi-kun...I want to apologize to him..."

"Apologize? Why's that?" Yotsuba asks, a little shocked by the answer given.

"I-I called him...a stalker...and a future criminal...even though he was so nice towards me..."

"Just tell him that you want to apologize to him. I know Uesugi-san will be compassionate and accept it."

"I-It's not that easy...I can't just tell him that..." Miku frantically shakes her head and once again hides behind her hands.

"Well, you could tell him at our sleepover. Since he'll be around for a good portion of the day, you can take all the time you need to tell him that you want to apologize."

"Speaking of which, where is Fuutarou gonna sleep? We can't let him sleep on the couch!" Itsuki reminds her other sister since they didn't talk about that yet.

"I could let him sleep in my room. I will just sleep on the couch instead!" Yotsuba replies happily. "I have no problem with sleeping on the couch!"

"He can sleep in my bed. There is lots of room for two~."

Itsuki starts to blush after hearing what her oldest sister had to say. She shakes her head and turns to her. "Ichika! You can't just sleep in a bed with him! Considering you always sleep without any clothes, he will get uncomfortable! He should sleep in my room."

"What's the problem with that? I am sure he will like it~" Ichika chuckles, running over her lips with her fingers.

"No, I can't let that happen! He will sleep in my room!"

"Hehe, Itsuki-chan really wants him all to herself, huh?" Ichika grins at her, edging forward to nudge her gently. Itsuki begins to emit steam from sheer mortification.

"Ichika, it is not what you think!"

"No, no, I get it. I will let him sleep in your room. But don't think I'm going to let you prevent me from spending a little time alone with him..." Ichika whispers into Itsuki's ear softly, so only she could hear the words being said.

"Huh? What did you say just now?" Itsuki did hear what her sister said, but she just couldn't believe her ears. Did Ichika really want to spend time alone with Fuutarou?

"Nothing~" Ichika turns away from her youngest sister and proceeds to walk up to her room with a smug expression on her face.

Author's Note:

Thank you. Thank you so much. In about 4 days, there were a total of 22 new reviews. I can't say anything but thank you.

And with this chapter, the voting ended. I think there is no need to further explain why the voting already ended. Here is the final result:

35 Votes for Itsuki

5 Votes for Miku

4 Votes for Ichika

3 Votes for the couch

1 Vote for Yotsuba

And with that, Fuutarou is gonna sleep in Itsuki's room. Thank you all for your participation in the voting, I couldn't ask you for more.

If you want, you can join the discord I and some other QQ Writers usually hang out on: discord . gg / V54pcwA

But what does Ichika mean by spending a little time alone with Fuutarou, how is Miku gonna apologize, and most importantly, are Itsuki and Fuutarou sleeping in one bed?

Find out in the next chapters.