Still Searching for Answers

"This is pretty bad." Arata commented. The trio were now in the library, with Erina and Arata planning their next course of action.

"Yeah, I really don't know where we can go from here." Erina agreed with him. Yuki sat with them silently. She felt bad that he was going through this. If she had to go through this herself, that would be pretty traumatizing.

"Ah, who would want to do this? I have a hard time believing that anyone of us would do this now." Racking his brain for those among the group. The most likely suspects would be Akaki and Misao, since they were the supporters. Except, he knew neither of them would want to do this. Not with how Misao seemed to act about him joining the group, and Akaki wouldn't risk Arata revealing his secret as revenge.

"That is a good question." A new voice joined this conversation. It was Hifumi Onuki, the student librarian. For someone that usually didn't spend time with people, she had oddly placed herself in this group.

"What?" He didn't know what she was talking about. There's no way she'd have any idea of what they were actually discussing. "I'm sorry, but this is kind of a private matter." This girl was strange to him. That moment when he had to take a picture with her, made no sense to him.

"Really? And here I thought that you were worried that people were going to find out that you're actually an otaku."

"Look, we're just… Wait, did you just say-"

"Otaku, yes. That's exactly what I just said." This didn't feel real to him, this strange girl knew his secret? That had to be a bluff, so he tried to play dumb.

"I think you got me mistaken for someone else." He said, with Erina and Yuki backing him up.

"I don't think so." She held up a picture of Arata reading manga to his face. He recognized this picture, it was during last year's culture festival. It turned out that he really had been caught, and never even knew it.

"Wait, are you the blackmailer?" Erina asked her, rather loudly at that.

"Perhaps you should remember we're in a library." Hifumi scolded her, as if what they were talking about wasn't serious. "And to answer your question. No, I'm not some blackmailer."

"How many people actually know my secret?" He lamented, covering his face with his hands. Had he really done that bad of a job, that people had ammo to blackmail should they need to. Why even him in the first place?

"Oh, what's there to be ashamed of?" Hifumi giggled, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with liking something, right?" He wasn't really comfortable with how close she was getting. The feeling of her breaths brushed along his face, sending shivers down his spine.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Erina asked her in anger from this sight. "Don't just go around sexually harassing people."

"People? Oh no, I would never do that." She replied. "Just him…"

"Okay, maybe you should keep your distance." His heart was beating a mile a minute with what she was doing. Turns out this librarian girl was pretty crazy.

"S-sorry." She backed off of him. "Forgive me, but it's not often I get to be so close to you." They all looked at her with visible confusion. "But I guess you could say… that I'm quite fond of that side of yours."

"That side? The otaku side?" Yuki asked her. This school was a lot weirder than she'd ever imagined before she transferred.

"Ah yes, well you could say that I'm one myself." She told them the truth. In reality, she was an even bigger fan than Arata or Yuki.

"You like that side… Are you confessing to me?"

"Confessing? Oh my, to do so in front of two other girls, when did I get so bold?" She smiled slyly, the reflection of her glasses covered her eyes. So that what it looked like in real life, he thought. Kind of weird… "But no, I'm not." She said sternly.

"What? But it sounds like-"

"I simply can't be in love with a boy that won't be honest about what makes him happy." She cut them off.

"That's fine with me." He laid back in his chair, a bit glad that wasn't what was happening. "I would've just rejected you anyway."

"Such a shame, that you can't be that honest when it comes to your hobby." She didn't seem hurt by what he said, so they believed that she meant it. "But if you're looking for a blackmailer, maybe you should look for Ichiri Susaki." He thought for a second. The director, and apparently his so-called rival. Could that girl really do that? "I overheard her talking about you. Saying things about how she'd take you down, and stuff like that."

"Of course!" He slammed a fist down on the table.

"Can you all please remember we're in a library."

"Right, sorry…" He apologized. "I should've thought about her. Even though it mentioned Yogi, she might be trying to ruin my relationships." The girl never struck him as the type to be malicious. Though he had found out stranger things about people.

"I'm sorry, but why exactly does she want to destroy you?" Yuki asked him.

"Yeah, wasn't she the one that put you in the play?" Erina followed up.

"Well, you weren't there…" He wasn't really sure how to answer this. That interaction he had with her this morning, it was odd to say the least. "Let's just say that she wasn't really happy with me stealing her attention during the play. So I guess we're rivals now."

"Really…" They all looked at him with disdain in their eyes. Not believing one second of his story.

"It's true." He tried convincing them. "Come on, let's go. You'll see when we find her." Arata got up from the table, time wasn't something that they should be wasting.

"Oh, and Yuki." Erina stopped the girl. "You shouldn't have to worry about this. We've got this." She knew that quiet girl was probably going to hold them back, so it was better if it was just the two of them. And so, they went to where they were certain their next target was going to be.

"Hehe…" Ichiri chuckled to herself. "This will be sure to get him." She was standing backstage with some special items in a bag. A couple of which, probably aren't really allowed at school.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure you think that whatever you got on me is pretty good." She turned around, behind her was Arata accompanied with Erina.

"What are you doing?" Erina noted the odd tone with which he said those words.

"Oh, I thought we were going to switch places, you know, I'm the bad cop now?"

"I'm kind of bored with that now…" Arata sighed, he never got to have any fun.

"I'm sorry, but I'm kind of busy right now." Ichiri didn't pay either of them much mind. "After all, as your rival I can't exactly take any breaks."

"Can you please stop saying that." Arata had heard that word enough in shonen and harems enough that being called one was just going to bother him. "Also, I can't believe that the way you thought you'd beat your rival, would be to blackmail them."

"Blackmail?" She was disgusted with hearing that accusation. "As if I'd stoop to so low."

"Then what's in that bag you got there?" He had entered interrogation mode, anything around them. He was going to make sure and take note of it.

"Oh these?" She pointed to it. "This is what I'm going to use to take you down." Immediately, Erina grabbed it out of her hands. With no time to react, all Ichiri could do was watch her take out the contents of the bag.

"What the? Handcuffs?" They appeared to be the real deal. The type that you could only get free from with the key.

"What the hell were you planning on doing to me?" Arata stared, mouth wide open in shock.

"Not to you. You pervert." She didn't appreciate the assumption that she was into that type of stuff. "This is for my next show. A magic show!"

"A… Magic show?"

"Yep, that way. Everyone here will know how much more talented I am compared to you." She bragged as if she had already won.

"Wow, so those are real, huh?" Arata took the handcuff from Erina, to examine them.

"Yeah, the only way to take them off, is with the key." The item she was referring to was still in the bag. Along with all the other magician gear.

"Pretty cool." He attached one end to a handrail. Pulling on it, nothing gave. "Seem like it's impossible to get out of one of these without it."

"True, but a real magician would know how to get out of these-" Without giving her the chance to continue her statement, "Hey! What are you doing?" He grabbed her arm, and in a shift motion, cuffed to the other end. Now she was trapped.

"Enough games." He told her. "How'd you find out?"

"Find out what?" She asked nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't act like we don't know." He continued his accusation. "We were told that you were in the library thinking of ways to take me down. Well, blackmail is a pretty good way of doing that."

"I already told you, I'd never stoop to so low." She defended herself. "I'd rather beat you with my own skill."

"I don't know if she'll admit to it." Erina thought. There wasn't many other options, so she had to be the culprit, right? "You have any ideas on making her talk?"

"Talk? What is there to talk about, I'm not blackmailing you."

"I might have an idea." Arata answered Erina. "You know, if you try and reveal my secret, then I'll just have to do the same to you."

"My secret?" Her heart sank, she knew what he was talking about.

"Yeah… I'll tell everyone that you wear teddy bear underwear." It wasn't his best attempt at blackmail, but it was the only weapon he had.

"She wears teddy bear panties…" Erina wasn't really sure what to make of that statement. Or why he chose that of all things. "Is that even true?"

"No!" Ichiri freaked out from hearing him say that. In front of someone else, no less. "You absolutely cannot tell anyone that." She grabbed him by the collar. Arata wasn't expecting this type of reaction from her. At most, he was thinking she'd be very embarrassed about it.

"Geez, calm down." He attempted to get free from her grip, but she had some type of iron fist or something.

"Please, I'm begging you." She ignored his words. "I don't know what it is I did to you, but I'll stop it. I'll even admit defeat if that's what you want!" Tears were forming in her eyes. She was truly fearful about what he threatened.

"Okay, okay. I won't." The way she was acting. There was no way this girl was the blackmailer. To be so concerned about her own privacy, was she really the type to violate others?

"You don't think she did it?" Erina asked him, as he regained his composure.

"No, I don't think so anymore." He had to take a minute to catch his breath. That was some type of ride he was given.

"So you really won't tell anyone?" Ichiri still seemed worried.

"No, and neither will Erina." He answered as she nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry about what you're going through." She responded. "I can understand the feeling of someone exposing you." Since he didn't really know her, what did she mean by that? If had been exposed before, no one at this school seemed to know or care.

"Thanks for the kind words." He expressed his gratitude. Tossing her the key to let her go. Watching her like this, he didn't like what this blackmail business was doing to him.

"So what are we going to do now?" Erina asked him. Arata pondered that statement for a bit. Thinking about the way he treated Ichiri, was he just going to cross a line he wouldn't be able to return from? Or, was it already too late?"

"I'll… Do what the note wants me to do." Was the answer he gave to her.

"What? We can't just give up already."

"You don't have to, but if I keep going. Then the blackmailer will probably just reveal the truth." That was what he told her, even if it wasn't the real reason for his departure.

"And what about everyone else?"

"Just tell them I won't be able to join them for lunch or see them anymore." He turned away and started walking from the backstage. "You're free to tell them the truth, but just don't tell Yogi I'm being blackmailed." Sitting besides that boy, he knew that Yogi would stop at nothing to find out who it was. Arata feared that would probably end in failure, and with himself exposed.

"Arata…" Were the only words that Erina could speak, as he left. Ichiri had a different look compared to her. One of determination.

"Kashimura, you may be my rival… But I promise, that I'll find who's doing this. So you don't have to suffer… Like I did."