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Ryunosuke finally understood the full scope of the situation.
It turned out that as a child, he had made a promise to Yuuki. He had promised to marry her once they grew up. The proof was right there inside the locket hanging from Yuuki's neck; tucked inside was a photograph of the two of them, kept all these years as a memento.
Ryunosuke recognized it instantly. The boy in the photo was undoubtedly him. His expression turned complicated in an instant.
"Another childhood debt of love... damn it!"
As for why Yuuki was in Maruo's hospital, it was because her sister and mother had decided to take one last gamble on her life.
The reason they had contracted AIDS in the first place was due to the gross negligence of a hospital in the past. At that time, their mother had received a blood transfusion that was contaminated with HIV. Tragically, she was pregnant with twins at the time. As a result, both Yuuki and her sister, Konno Aiko, were infected in the womb.
The hospital, desperate to avoid a scandal that would shut them down, had offered a settlement: they would cover every cent of the family's medical expenses for life, provided the matter remained a strictly guarded secret.
Meanwhile, Yuuki's father had abandoned the three of them following the diagnosis. Shouldering the burden of three family members with AIDS was a weight most men would flee from—especially since it was a "bottomless pit." Everyone knew AIDS couldn't be fully cured; money was merely used to buy more time.
The mother, left with no other way to survive and protect her unborn children, had been forced to accept the hospital's silence money. It was a heartbreaking decision made by a woman with her back against the wall. Thus, the three of them lived, relying on each other and spending the majority of their lives within hospital walls.
The meeting between Ryunosuke and Yuuki years ago had been pure chance. Back then, because of her illness, no other children wanted to play with Yuuki. Only Ryunosuke—who was busy hiding from debt collectors at the time—was willing to keep her company.
One day, Ryunosuke had suddenly appeared from the branches of a tree. He poked his small head down, spotting Yuuki sitting below with a mournful expression. He jumped down and greeted her without a hint of hesitation.
"Hey. You got any food?"
That was how the young Ryunosuke first appeared before Yuuki. Startled, she had scurried behind the tree trunk, peeking out with wide, curious eyes.
Ryunosuke didn't care about the social distance. He simply clutched his stomach, which was sunken from hunger, and slumped onto the ground, claiming he couldn't walk another step. Yuuki picked up a fallen twig and extended it toward him.
"Hello... my name is Konno Yuuki. What's yours?"
"Oh, I'm Ryunosuke." He grabbed the other end of the twig, then asked, confused, "Why are you using a stick to shake my hand?"
Yuuki's gaze dimmed. "I have AIDS. It might spread to you."
"Oh?" Little Ryunosuke had no idea what AIDS was. He reached out and firmly grasped Yuuki's tiny hand. She froze for a second before frantically trying to pull away.
"Let go! You'll get sick too!"
Ryunosuke just scratched his head. "Is it that catchy? Fine, then you have to take responsibility. Buy me dinner."
At that time, his brain was 100% focused on food. To hell with AIDS; he didn't understand it and didn't care. Yuuki stared at him blankly.
"Aren't you afraid to die?"
Ryunosuke scoffed. "My life is so miserable I might as well be dead already. But my only regret is not having a wife yet. How about you just marry me? We can be a ghost couple."
He grinned widely, flashing his white teeth in a style reminiscent of Luffy. Yuuki, with tears glistening in her eyes, nodded in agreement. From that moment on, they became inseparable best friends.
They played "house" in the sandbox. Ryunosuke was the husband; Yuuki was the wife. Yuuki crafted "hamburgers" out of sand and served them to him.
Ryunosuke had commented with a grimace, "This isn't edible, is it? Give me something I can actually chew!" No matter how hungry he was, he wouldn't eat sand. He'd tried it once, and it only hurt his stomach.
Seeing him truly famished, Yuuki had rushed to give him her own lunch box.
Ryunosuke had devoured it like a man rising from the grave. Yuuki just watched him, a bright, cheerful smile on her face.
Once he was full, Ryunosuke decided to take their "house" game seriously as a way to repay her. The mischievous Yuuki had dared to take a hospital curtain and drape it over herself like a wedding gown, staging a ceremony.
Ryunosuke went along with it solemnly. Anything for a lunch box...
He had even snuck into the hospital morgue to find a suit that fit. In Japan, the deceased were often dressed in their finest, so a small black suit was easy to find. He used it as his wedding attire.
They held their wedding ceremony with absolute sincerity. Ryunosuke recited his vows as a husband.
"From now on, I, Akasaka Ryunosuke, will always be good to you. I will never leave you, even if I have to go to the eighth level of hell, I won't let go of your hand."
Yuuki's eyes sparkled. She raised her hands excitedly. "Me too!"
After the ceremony, Ryunosuke demanded his reward—another lunch box.
Yuuki gave it to him without a second thought. She began fantasizing about how many children they would have when they grew up; she was clearly taking the "marriage" to heart. Meanwhile, Ryunosuke was busy stuffing his face with rice, not taking it seriously at all.
What marriage could possibly be more important than eating? Food was everything.
Suddenly, Yuuki remembered something. "Oh! We're married but we don't have a wedding photo. Let's take one!"
Ryunosuke, his mouth full of rice, mumbled, "Mkay..."
Yuuki counted her allowance, realized it wasn't enough, and borrowed the rest from her mother. Her mother, always drowning in guilt for her daughters' plight, fulfilled their requests whenever possible. Yuuki easily got the money, then used a twig to lead Ryunosuke to a nearby photo studio.
That was the origin of the photograph.
Inside the studio, Yuuki beamed with happiness, while at the end of the twig she held was Ryunosuke.
Ryunosuke asked, confused, "Why are you still holding that stick?"
Yuuki replied shyly, "I have AIDS... I'm scared I'll give it to you."
Ryunosuke tossed the twig aside with total indifference, then firmly interlaced his fingers with hers. He spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"We're husband and wife. I don't care about that. Worst case scenario, I die with you."
Ryunosuke truly didn't care about death, because his life back then was already a living hell. His desire to die was actually greater than his will to survive. If it hadn't been, he wouldn't have eventually tried to end it all by jumping from a building before he met Shiina Mahiru.
Yuuki didn't know that. She was simply moved to her core. Looking down at her hand in his, she tightened her grip and said with a radiant smile:
"You have to really marry me when we're grown up. I'll wait for you my whole life."
Ryunosuke answered firmly, "Of course."
In that instant, the camera flash went off. Their moment together was immortalized forever.