Another Conclusion

Another Conclusion is chapter 136 of the Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai light novel series. It is chapter fifteen of volume eleven.

Summary
On an August morning, Kodaka and Rika travel to Tokyo together to attend a comic festival called Comiba. Rika usually asked her colleagues to attend the festival for her, so they can purchase her the things that she wants. This time, Rika decided that she wanted to visit the festival herself. Due to Comiba having an extremely large amount of participants, Kodaka askes Rika if she'll be okay, as her previous visits to the amusement park and Tooya Station had made her feel sick. Kodaka thinks that, even though Rika has been getting better with large crowds, the crowd at Comiba would tower over any other crowd she's ever been a part of. Rika answers Kodaka saying that she actually isn't feeling all that confident about the situation. Kodaka says that they should leave if that's the case, but Rika states otherwise, saying she wants to give it her all and attend. Knowing that Rika will still have difficulties with attending, Kodaka insists that he attend with her. At the same time, Rika also said that Kodaka should go with her.

In present time, Kodaka and Rika notice that, even though it's quite early, there was a large amount of people at Tooya Station. Rika already appeared nauseous, but Kodaka hoped that, since he got reserved seats on the train, sitting should give her time to recover. Upon arriving at Tokyo Station, the pair see a crowd many times the size of that at Tooya Station. Kodaka and Rika began walking, while Kodaka notices Rika's previous condition return, though this time, it's worsened. He grabs her hand and the two push their way out of the crowd onto a mostly vacant sidewalk. About to cry, Rika asks if all these people are headed to the festival. Kodaka answers that that'd be ridiculous, with a forced smile. After taking a break for tea, the two continue further on their journey. On the subway, there were more people than there were at Tokyo Station, causing Rika's condition to worsen further. She clings to Kodaka for the remainder of the ride, until he has them get off at the next nearest stop. As they arrive at their stop, Kodaka realizes that the crowd isn't budging, and so, he begins to yell that they're trying to get off, but no one notices. Rika utters "Haa... get... get the fuck out of the way, you damned trash...!, which causes the crowd to form a path for the two. They make it off the train and onto a bench, both exhausted. Kodaka asks her if she still hopes to attend the festival, and the two speak for a moment, considering their options. The two finally decide to give up and return to Tooya. Soon after, Rika interjects, saying that she's now better. She was blushing due to holding Kodaka's hand. Kodaka says sorry and lets her hand go, causing a giggle to arise from Rika. She says there's no reason to be panicked, and Kodaka, looking away, states that it's because he likes her. This reveal leaves Rika speechless. The pair remained silent long enough for another train to arrive and leave. Rika then says that she wants to be Kodaka's friend and that it's not possible for the two to be a couple. Kodaka knew what her reply would be, so he wasn't really shocked. Kodaka thinks about his general feelings and his current girlfriend, Yukimura. He knew he had to let Rika know his feelings. While holding her hand, his heart beat wildly, only now subsiding. Kodaka mumbles "...so that's how it is...," leading to Rika asking what he means and him saying "nothing."

Kodaka thinks about Yozora and how she confessed to him, knowing what his reply would be. He now understands why she did what she did. Last year's Chrimatas Eve, Kodaka was left heartbroken. He found that he loved Rika, but also found that she did not carry those same feelings for him. He discovered this through text messages between Rika and Yukimura, not through asking himself. Even though he was dating Yukimura, his feelings for Rika were still there, albeit buried within himself. Kodaka now feels liberated. His feelings for Rika now gone, and the heartbreak with them. Though he felt as though his chest was being stabbed, he forced a smile and asked Rika to continue to be his friend. Rika, forming a pained smile, nods in agreement.