Capítulo 66: The Truth
This was finally going to be the moment. Arata had decided that he was going to be honest about himself for once. Well, as long as his body was going to cooperate. Along with everyone actually showing up.
"Where is everyone?" He asked himself. Sitting atop one of the branches in the tree. Arata was certain that Akiba was going to do what he asked her to do. She better not just leave him hanging up here.
"So, he said he'd be here, right?" He heard the voice of Yogi talking with the others. Finally, it was time for his grand entrance. Arata was hoping that this might dazzle them a bit, so that when he reveal the truth. They might still think he was cool.
"I'm right… Whoa!" Attempting to hop down from the branch. He ended up slipping, falling flat on his back. Thankfully, with the fall weather. There were piles of leaves to break his fall. "...Here."
"Oh my gosh, are you all right?" Yogi expressed his concern. Arata was grateful that he had a rather tough body, that somehow avoided real injury.
"I'm fine." He was helped up, dusting off the dirt from the ground. "I'm glad that you're all here."
"Of course we're all here." Yogi responded. "We've all been worried about you, why have you been avoiding all of us?"
"That's why I asked you all to come here. Well, you know, through Akiba." This was it. Arata had finally decided that it was time to come clean.
He paused for a moment. Knowing that once he went through with this, there would be no turning back. Even if any of them chose not to want to be his friend. That would be better than having this cloud over his head.
Too bad his body was disagreeing with him. His knees were feeling weak. That feeling of dread washed over him. It took everything inside his mind, to not just turn tail and run.
"The truth is…" What was going to follow next, was hard to say. "I'm being blackmailed. And that's why I've been avoiding you." Obviously everyone else knew this, so this information was more for Yogi.
"Really? We should go find who's doing this!" Yogi was ready for action. Anything to help his friend out.
"No." Arata stopped him. "I think for once, I should be honest about what they want to expose me with…"
"You really don't have to tell us." Yogi was a pretty open person, but he understood that people have things they want to keep to themselves.
"I still want to say it." The truth was, that Arata didn't want to be with people where he felt he needed to hide himself. That he would finally take the advice that so many had given him.
"It's your choice." Misei told him, as a way to get Yogi to agree. "So go ahead and tell us."
"I'm…" Arata stood before them. Never before had he felt this pressure. This fear. That once he did this, he might lose what he never thought he'd ever value. "...I'm an otaku."
"An otaku?" Akaki was confused, he had never heard that word before. "What's that?"
"It's someone that really enjoys anime, manga, and light novels." He explained. "I won't even try and pretend that it's only sophisticated stuff with deep meaning." Arata knew it would be pointless if he tried to make it sound better. "Harems, isekais, all that fanservicey stuff. That's what I enjoy to watch. I even have a body pillow for heaven's sake!"
Saying them out loud. He could feel the temperature of his body raising, sweat falling from his head. Finally saying this was harder than it sounded.
"So that's what they're planning to expose me with." He finished. "I understand if you don't want to associated with a pathetic loser like me…" Arata turned around, face down. About to walk away from them, when a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"That's it?" Yogi asked him.
"Y-yeah? I mean, don't you guys think it's disgraceful?"
"I don't." Yogi replied firmly." I mean, Yuki's one too."
"What? Don't say that in front of everyone!" She protested.
"But, he's one. And if anyone wants to give you trouble, then I'll stop them." That did little to comfort her, but she accepted it for now.
"And what about you guys?" Arata directed this question towards the rest.
"While I may think that type of stuff is distasteful." Misei started. "It's not as if I'm going to unfriend someone for such a simple hobby."
"Yeah, same here." Yuriko followed up.
"I don't mind checking out some manga…" Akiba said quietly. They all agreed with each other. Not because of Yogi, but that they didn't want to lose their friendship with Arata. Along with not really being that concerned with his tastes.
"You guys don't…" He couldn't believe that this was happening. Was he really all that concerned over nothing. The hit from this realization, he fell backwards. Causing worry to everyone else.
"Are you okay?" Yogi asked him.
"Yeah…" He had a smile on his face, tears almost forming in his eyes. Now he could finally breath a sigh of relief. Or, that's what he thought.
"Kashimura? There you are, I've been looking all over for you." A new voice came into this conversation. It was Ichiri, who had been doing her own investigating during school.
"Hmm? Who are you?" Akaki asked, where this entire situation was getting even stranger in his point of view.
"Damn it, how come no one remembers I was the director." She cursed that newspaper. "Anyway, you should come with me. I think I know who the blackmailer is."
"You do? We should go right now!" Erina was raring to go and find out this individual.
"Hang on everyone." Arata stopped them from leaving. "Only I'm going." He knew that they'd be very angry with this person. To an extent that he wasn't going to accept.
"Blackmail is a very serious offense in this school." Misei told him. He thought that was an odd response from her, considering she didn't do anything about Erina. Not that he wanted punishment for her either.
"Please, I just want to be able to talk to them." He had to know why they would do this. Hine once told him, that he should try and figure out why someone would do this. Though, he learned too late that she meant he should find and take care of the problem. So that they would never do it again, not to just accept it happening.
"You really think we should just let it go?" Yuriko asked him, that hint of anger in his voice was his reason for his actions.
"Yes… Please, I promise you all. That this won't happen again." He stood his ground, this was his only shot of making things right once again.
"Then do it." Yogi backed off. "I trust you, so if anyone can do it. It's you." Arata thanked them, and followed Ichiri to their target.
"So who do you think did it?" Arata was wondering why this girl was helping him out here. They hardly knew each other, and she did claim to be his rival.
"It's gotta be that reporter, Yurime Kurosawa."
"Really?" He looked at her disappointed. "Look, just because she didn't write about you-"
"I'm being serious." She replied agitated. "You can't honestly expect me to be the type of person to hold a grudge."
"It kind of feels like that..." The only thing he knew, was that she was fairly good at being a director. And was kind of arrogant at that part, which explained her anger at being shafted. "But sure, I guess we'll find out when we get there."
They arrived at the news club. Multiple computers were lined along the long table. At the end, it was none other than Yurime sitting on her own, typing away on an article.
"What are you working on?" Ichiri caught her attention.
"Ehh!" She quickly shut her laptop, standing up to greet them. "Can't you guys knock or something?"
"Don't play dumb." Arata's companion wasted no time. She had a fury in her eye that he never thought she'd have. "I know exactly what you're doing here. I'm not gonna allow it."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just here doing my job, that's all." Yurime was a bad liar. Her deposition gave herself away pretty easily.
"Kurosawa, please." Arata took a different approach than Ichiri. "We won't do anything rash, so just tell us the truth." Yurime took a look at both of them. A bead of sweat dropped down the side of her face. Finally she sighed, defeated.
"Fine, it's true." She answered them, opening back her laptop. It revealed that she was working on an article exposing him. "I'm the blackmailer…" That was easier than he was expecting.
"I never thought you were that type of person." Ichiri directed this towards Arata, as she took a look at the pictures that she had on him.
"Look, that stuff's just out of context." He defended himself, flustered by how these images were arranged. It was time to refocus on the subject at hand. "Anyway, why are you doing this?" He turned back to Yurime.
"It's because…" She clenched her teeth. Trying to hold back her anger. "It's not fair…"
"Fair?"
"She likes him too!" She yelled at the both of them. Ichiri was lost on this subject, since she had no experience with this group at all. "Yuriko, it isn't fair that everyone else gets all that help. But she's stuck on her own!"
Arata couldn't believe what he was hearing. This girl was supporting her the entire time? Remembering back at the May dance, he realized why Yuriko was one of the contestants. This girl must've got her in it somehow.
"But why me?"
"You? You're the strangest of the bunch." It was odd for pretty much everyone at school, when Arata of all people started to hang out with Yogi and the rest. After all, he had spent an entire year just keeping to himself, avoiding social interaction as much as he could.
She noticed it too. That's why she started to pretend to ask them questions about upcoming events. Yurime had to find a way to get closer to him somehow. So that was her plan, to gain his trust. That was how she figured out he was being blackmailed by Erina to help her, and why she went to find out what his secret was.
"Then, was Yuriko in on this too?"
"No…" She responded. "We're not really friends or anything."
"What? But then, why put all this effort in?" Ichiri wasn't sure how this type of business worked. But she was certain that you generally helped out those that were close to you.
"Like I said, it isn't fair that she'd on her own…" She said again. So it was out of pity? That was a new reason he wasn't expecting.
"I get what you mean." He said. "But understand this, I'm not against Yuriko here." He clarified. "Sure, before I was forced to help Erina, but it's not like that anymore. Now I'm supporting every one of them."
"You… You are?"
"Yes." Yurime couldn't believe it. She was really going to destroy this boy, and he wasn't even her enemy.
"I… I'm so sorry." She sat back down on her chair. Tears streaming down her face. "I didn't realize that."
"It doesn't even matter if he was still supporting her!" Ichiri got mad at her. "You tried to abuse your power to destroy him for petty things." She was getting really angry, it would've gotten ugly, if it wasn't for Arata.
"Please, calm down." He stopped her. "That said, I'm going to let you off." This was a statement that had Ichiri really upset.
"You can't think that you can just forgive her like that!"
"I can, and that's exactly what I'm doing." He answered her. "I know that a lot of people would disagree with me here. But I'll forgive you, on one condition."
"What do you want me to do?"
"More like what I don't want you to do." He corrected. "If you promise that you won't pull something like this. Then I'll keep all of this to myself, and we can move on with our lives." He felt that it wouldn't be fair, if he forgave Erina, but not her for the same thing.
"… I can't do that."
"What?! But we can't just let you-"
"Because I'm going to resign from the news club." She told the two of them.
"I don't need you to go that far." This wasn't what Arata had in mind, when he planned on forgiving her.
"It's a punishment for myself." She explained. "All my life, I wanted to be a great reporter. Talking about what was going on for everyone. Really getting the pulse of the people." This was the hardest thing for her to do. That's why she chose this as her way to atone. "But I disrespected my own dream, so that's why I don't even deserve follow it anymore…"
"If that's what you want. Then I won't stop you." He relented. If she was going to do this, then he figured that it'd be more than enough for his forgiveness.
"Thank you…" She picked up her laptop, leaving the two in the room alone.
"You're really just letting her off that easily?" Ichiri asked, once she had left.
"I am." He answered. "Besides, even if she doesn't decide to quit the club. Then I'd still forgive her." Yurime would resign from the news club that following Monday.
Arata and Ichiri went their separate ways. It was getting late, and it would be best to begin heading home. However, on his way out. Arata found Erina waiting for him. She was leaning on the wall, her head facing down to the ground.
"What are you still doing here?" He asked her. "You guys were free to leave while I was taking care of that."
"...I'm sorry." Was the only words out of her mouth. She didn't even look up to meet his gaze.
"Sorry? But I don't think you did anything wrong."
"I mean, it's my fault that you're even here." She looked up at him, revealing that she had been crying while waiting for him. "If I wasn't so selfish and careless, doing all those things to you. You wouldn't have to suffer this again."
"Don't say that." He consoled her. "I mean, sure it did suck for me." Arata admitted. "But, if you didn't then I would still be that loner kid. My life would be pretty different without you."
"But-"
"No buts." Her attempt at a protest was stopped. "It might not have been all fun and games, but things have worked out for me so far." He smiled, realizing that things had mainly been for the better for him. Odd, considering the events that led to everything.
"Okay…" She wiped her tears, feeling a little better.
"Here." He grabbed her hand. Erina was a bit embarrassed at his sudden motion. "Let's go grab some ice cream then. That'll cheer you up for sure."
"You're really treating me?"
"I mean, it's more of treating myself." After today, he could really a nice cold dessert. "Now let's go." So the two of them went together, to his favorite shop. For a nice way to put all this behind them.
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