In my view, I do believe the original Hikaru loved Yoshiki. Remember, in the flashback, his father tells the young Hikaru that if he loves a girl, he must marry her immediately to protect her; the boy thinks of Yoshiki—he wanted to protect him, too, but since they were both boys, that wasn't an option. There’s another memory where Hikaru remarks on Yoshiki’s handsome face and gently strokes his cheek and bangs. In his final moments, Hikaru’s thoughts were on Yoshiki because he didn't want to leave him. There were other micro-gestures, glances, and actions from the original Hikaru, too. However, I noticed this side of him fading as we saw glimpses of the original Hikaru making homophobic jokes and showing interest in that girl, Saitou-san—who looks like a female version of Yoshiki lol. I mean, just because the original Hikaru had flaws or wasn't overtly romantic toward Yoshiki—unlike the "monster" Hikaru—doesn't mean they couldn't have loved each other if circumstances had been different. Yoshiki also struggled with intense internalized homophobia; his character arc centered on feeling free to be himself and embrace his sexuality. So, it’s good that Yoshiki let go of his feelings for the original Hikaru, he has already mourned his lifelong friend, but was that conversation based merely on Yoshiki's own idea of og Hikaru? Or was he actually speaking to the real Hikaru's soul? Otherwise, Yoshiki was just talking to his own thoughts and reflection u.u
In my view, I do believe the original Hikaru loved Yoshiki. Remember, in the flashback, his father tells the young Hikaru that if he loves a girl, he must marry her immediately to protect her; the boy thinks of Yoshiki—he wanted to protect him, too, but since they were both boys, that wasn't an option. There’s another memory where Hikaru remarks on Yoshiki’s handsome face and gently strokes his cheek and bangs. In his final moments, Hikaru’s thoughts were on Yoshiki because he didn't want to leave him. There were other micro-gestures, glances, and actions from the original Hikaru, too. However, I noticed this side of him fading as we saw glimpses of the original Hikaru making homophobic jokes and showing interest in that girl, Saitou-san—who looks like a female version of Yoshiki lol. I mean, just because the original Hikaru had flaws or wasn't overtly romantic toward Yoshiki—unlike the "monster" Hikaru—doesn't mean they couldn't have loved each other if circumstances had been different. Yoshiki also struggled with intense internalized homophobia; his character arc centered on feeling free to be himself and embrace his sexuality. So, it’s good that Yoshiki let go of his feelings for the original Hikaru, he has already mourned his lifelong friend, but was that conversation based merely on Yoshiki's own idea of og Hikaru? Or was he actually speaking to the real Hikaru's soul? Otherwise, Yoshiki was just talking to his own thoughts and reflection u.u