You have definitely made me curious *who* the antagonist is, only because I had a pretty good idea of who it was that was quickly proven wrong. But the actual antagonist may still be associated with them and I'm waiting to see if that's true.
But another thing I'm anticipating is the housemates' reactions when they find that I'm eager to help out E. I get the impression most of them wouldn't actually like E or would at least be surprised that I do. Maybe I'm wrong, though.
You're right for thinking there's another, bigger antagonist. I always say that he's just a piece to a bigger puzzle.
As for their reaction, they wouldn't be happy only because of the risk of getting your powers exposed. Perry is the only character who actively dislikes E and the other housemates like E, but they'd still find a problem with you/MC getting too close to them. I think it also has to do with the fact that the other housemates go out of their way to stay away from people outside of the house. They sacrifice close friendships, even romantic relationships. It's not a very good life to live but at least it's better than a cell.
Seeing an MC disregard their caution will definitely ruffle some feathers, but it depends. There are benefits to getting close and helping E, considering they're like the beating heart of Emberwood in some regard.