(Un) Fortunately the Yandere is Not After Me

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.