People will ship something just to ship it when it would be just as good as a platonic relationship. Guys sometimes your ship is just best friends who adore each other and there's nothing wrong with that. Not asoryuu tho they're in love.
The best part, to me, of the "he is my pride and joy" line is that ryuu is speaking in the present tense, not as if kazuma's still alive, but as if that will never change. He IS ryuu's best friend, his pride and joy, and he always will be. No one will ever be able to replace him.
Ryuu who is just as horribly touch starved as kazuma but he does not realize it until he has to deal with the loss of the only person who was always leaning on him