The 8-Year Engagement

In Okayama, Hisashi meets Mai for the first time at a restaurant party. Mai tells him she dislikes his sullen attitude, and he apologizes, explaining that he’s felt nauseous all day. Feeling a pang of guilt, Mai cheerfully sees him off, sparking the start of their connection.

Months into dating, Hisashi asks Mai to marry him and she says yes. They go as far as reserving a ceremony venue, signaling their intent for the future. Soon afterward, Mai begins experiencing lapses of memory, foreshadowing the trouble ahead.

Mai suddenly experiences an extreme seizure accompanied by hysteria, marking the onset of a serious medical crisis. Her crisis shocks those around her as she collapses into a state that will lead to hospitalization and diagnosis.

In the hospital, Mai suffers a heart attack but is saved, and doctors diagnose anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a form of brain inflammation. She remains in a coma as the medical team works to stabilize her condition.

Hisashi visits Mai every day, supporting her as Hatsumi and Kōji help care for her. The worried parents eventually tell him to move on and not come anymore, suggesting he should try to live his own life. He refuses, clinging to his promise of marriage.

More than a year passes before Mai wakes from the coma. Doctors tell her she has to start from scratch, relearning how to speak and move, beginning a long rehabilitation journey. She faces a new reality that reshapes her relationship with Hisashi.

After several years of rehabilitation, Mai is mostly back to her cheerful self but remembers nothing of Hisashi. She travels to places they once visited in an effort to recall their shared history, a process that exhausts her frail body. Her memory loss creates an emotional distance between them.

Feeling that he is an obstacle to Mai’s recovery, Hisashi chooses not to see her anymore and moves to Shodo Island. He steps back from their relationship, hoping to give her space to heal. Meanwhile, Mai continues her life with the memory gap between them.

Mai stumbles upon the ceremony hall and learns that Hisashi had kept the wedding date March 17 for years. She also discovers that this date was the password for her phone, and she realizes he had been sending her encouraging videos for years during her coma. The revelation rekindles a sense of connection between them.

Mai rushes to Shodo Island to find Hisashi and tells him that even if she cannot remember, she still wants to marry him. He reveals the many videos he sent to sustain her through the years, and the emotional bridge between them is rebuilt.

The story culminates in the couple's marriage, sealing their commitment despite the long stretch of memory loss and separation. The ceremony marks a hopeful new chapter built on enduring promises and quiet devotion. Their union is a reconciliation of past memories and future love.