Of course it has to be like this
*cry on Yotsuba ship,

Fuutarou will think itsuki is rena because how hard she studies and try to call her out. But itsuki will tell him the truth about yotsuba

Calling it

@Nyaalter There might a hamburger involved.

Absolutely fucking based Fuutarou. Come on Yotsuba, take some of courage.

All these people suddenly coming out of the woodworks spouting their theories about who is the final girl.
I only got one thing to say: anyone but Itsuki, please. Itsuki is not the best girl. Never has, never will.
Compared to the others, her development is weak. Beyond the first few arcs, nothing. Almost no development. Only snippets here and there, never being in the spotlight. Yet the last chapter in this arc is for her and for sure it could be a big turn around but it will just scream fake. She doesn't deserve it.
Call me butthurt, and you'll be right. She's the most plain and uninteresting of them all - what qualities does she have that stands out compared to the rest of the sisters? Nothing but being 'silently' supportive and "tsundere". Aside from a blackhole for a stomach.
I'll take any of the sisters winning but her. Heck, I'll take harem ending. Yet I fear she may win this all.
Anyone but Itsuki.

NO!!!!!?

@donm527 Exactly, that is the same sentiment I had while reading this. Ichika has always been Fuutarou's biggest supporter, they have always managed to talk freely with one another, their development was gradual and sensible, and her arc is the best among the sisters and is still not done, frankly any other end than this would be a disappointment.

Not to mention them getting together could have a lot of great callbacks, the first rehearsal she did with the graduation role, the dance they never got to have, the evening they spent in Kyoto, the promise they both made to pay each other back when they "make it big", her buying him a book on how to become a better teacher, him not being able to tell her why she should graduate high school, them making a movie together, Ichika being the only one who actually has an outside supporter in the form of director, and of course, her saying that everything was a lie and Fuutarou actually having doubts about it, he knew that Miku was in love with him, even though she tried to bypass her confession, him being shocked by the fact that Ichika actually kissed someone else. Fuutarou has thought about Ichika being the kisser at least twice now, and we've had multiple close ups of her lips, she was the first one he could differentiate from the sisters, when she gave him ideas about what drink to choose, drawing parallels between the 4 sisters, he chose none of them, he didn't reject Ichika.

Of course this is all wishful thinking and hope that Negi isn't a complete hack but you never know what mangakas and their editors might pull.

@Darklight99

I'm pretty much in total agreement with you. It had boggled the mind wondering how people can't see the development from the end of the first arc, holding each other in the alleyway, Ichika asking what they were to him, telling her they are partners and already recognizing when she has a fake smile to the lap pillow and thanks by Ichika and telling him to prepare himself with her. Then you see... subtly... but she's always there to help him... talking to him about Itsuki on the balcony ending in a head pat and then sending him back up to fetch her pen... helping him get some time with Itsuki to work things out... it just keeps going and going all the while her feelings are getting stronger.... yet conflicted with her wanting to help Miku from the very start like when Ichika forced him to get everyone's email address that made Miku happy... etc etc. While Fuu has been there for all the other sisters and helping them work through their issues as you see in the sides... Ichika has always been the one there for Fuu, helping him win over his sisters so that he can be there for them and talk to him about his problems more than the other way around. She's the one he can only show his lame side all the time and the only one he could act "creepy" to.

I think the reason people have missed it... is because Negi is a genius and has used misdirection... as most are use to it now... but people don't go back and see how he's used it from the very beginning. Itsuki... first girl and you have people falling and concentrating on her. Then you have Miku with the shy cute girl that develops a crush for the MC... that personality the other half fall for. All the while you have Ichika... the flirty sister and those are the type you don't take seriously because of that flirtyness you think she lacks real substance... people think she may have been a prostitute or doing AV or something because she's seen getting out of a car of an older man. Then people really miss the little things she's doing or think she's the secondary character that's helping the sis "shy cute girl with the crush."... fast forward a bit and you have the part she gets agressive and lies to get closer to Fuu and then you have the those readers that hate that snek lol. And at this point people just have their favorites and they don't want to see possibilities anymore... with Negi always misdirecting people can't give up waiting to find that secret piece to the puzzle that leads their favorite to love. You have people waiting for the Itsuki side to show, after 80 chapters of no real development with Itsuki after the first couple of arcs to magically show why she's the bride at the end in two chapters. Negi you freaking genius...

I'll just stop there. If people see it cool. If people don't... I am actually ok with it. Honestly, if it was too obvious from the beginning and everyone was on the Ichika train, then I would have doubts of her being the bride at the end.. Negi would have failed in his atttempt at so much misdirection for people to figure it out so early. But we'll see. Negi could still pull out some surprises with a couple of dozen chapters left... or maybe he'll do a Darling in the Franxx where 80-90% of the story from beginning was genius... then you have an asspull of an ending lol.

lol imagine thinking ichika has a chance

@Darklight99 Objectively speaking, yes. Ichika has the most development and and thus has the best chance. Yotsuba, god bless her soul, was doomed the moment it was revealed that she's Rena. In a story like this, the likelyhood of the girl being the childhood crush AND the endgirl is pretty slim.

Nino and Miku is a bit weird. If Miku wins itll leave a bad taste since half of all her advances are thanks to her sisters picking up her slack. Not saying she doesnt deserve to win, but she kinda doesnt. Nino is the opposite, being TOO assertive. She does the most work out of all of them by far. If she wins a lot of people will call favouritism on Negi's end.

Itsuki... hooo boy. She barely does anything the entire series that its almost ominous. Im afraid that theres gonna be a massive whammy that will instantly put her on top, and thats just the worst.

Negi can go fuck himself in the knee.

I just re-read the entire series again and I can't understand why anyone would pick a girl other than Ichika to be the end girl. Her arc is the best one, it started from the very start and gradually continued and is still going on, she is involved with his past, fell in love with him fast but not too fast, her saying that everything was a lie means that the truth coming out is still an arc to go through, Miku and Nino have nothing left, Itsuki hasn't had any romantic flag in a long time and her getting big flags going forward would just be bad writing, Yotsuba is a good contender, but I don't see how Fuutarou could see her in a romantic sense since he has already given up on Rena and never seems to see Yotsuba as a possible romantic interest, Yotsuba hasn't even had any development in the present uptil now, it's all been flashbacks, in fact her truth coming out would lead to the entire truth coming out, which would have Ichika's evening with him, and how Fuutarou completely called her a liar and made a cry despite her actually saying the truth somewhat.

Eatsuki is next. Don't really know how will they end up kissing since she's the most distant one.

I want her to be happy, everything else doesn't matter ;_;

we out here cryin n shit

yotsubros on suicide watch

I don't even care about fuutarou at this point, Mike be miiiineeeee

I was hoping something more, this chapter was really "meh" to me.

She finally let go of her past and starting to chase something/someone she want.