He wasn't putting the cart before the horse; more bugs meant more safeguards.
Besides, he had nothing better to do.
He couldn't spend all his time cooped up at home playing video games.
He started with C, then moved on to all kinds of code. To be honest, programming was complicated. Even he had needed a month to get the hang of it.
After all, it was the twenty-first century, and people kept most of their assets online, from social media platforms to digital transactions.
That made the internet a massive stage.
The digital age meant that almost everything was practically public knowledge—as long as you knew enough about the subject.
That was why Kazuto Kirigaya had decided to learn about computers.
He glanced at his phone. It was Saturday, June 4, 2014, and six in the morning.
Outside, the living room and hallway were pitch-black. Midori Kirigaya was undoubtedly a failure as a mother. Ever since she'd learned that Kazuto was a decent cook, she'd come home less and less. Eventually, she'd started coming home only once a week, devoting herself entirely to her career.
The morning was a little chilly, but he still headed out for a run in a T-shirt.
He stopped by a breakfast shop and grabbed something to eat.
Then he continued on toward Yuuki Asuna's house.
Asuna usually left home at seven, so if he went now, he could catch her on her way out.
Asuna's house was enormous. Her mother, Kyoko Yuuki, was a university professor and extremely strict about her daughter's education. Every weekend and during every school break, she filled Asuna's schedule with a pile of after-school classes.
Today was no different.
But Asuna no longer resented the life her mother had arranged for her quite so much. That was because she'd recently met a very handsome boy.
He was really handsome. She'd never seen a boy so good-looking.
The boy was about ten, a little shorter than her, with lovely short blond hair and gentle features. He still looked a little young, but it was obvious he'd grow up to be incredibly handsome. His eyes were a rare shade of gold, too. When he noticed her looking at him, Asuna had instinctively tensed up.
To be honest, she'd attended an all-girls' school since she was little, so she'd had very little contact with boys. And when she saw such a good-looking one, she couldn't help sneaking a few extra glances.
But he noticed those few glances, and so their first encounter had begun under those circumstances.
After talking to him for a bit, though, she realized he was a very interesting boy.
Asuna never complained about her mother to her face, but looking at her packed schedule, she'd often wished she had someone to confide in. She'd spent so much time studying that she wasn't very popular at school, so she kept a lot of things bottled up.
After chatting with the boy for a while, she learned that his name was Kazuto Kirigaya. When they got onto the subject of their lives lately, she couldn't help complaining.
"You have no idea. My mother's so strict. She never lets me have any hobbies of my own. All she ever talks about is my grades." Asuna grumbled about her mother like a little girl.
As they chatted, they soon arrived at the cram school.
Kazuto glanced at it curiously and casually asked her, "Do you take classes here, Asuna?"
Asuna's face turned red. She found herself at a loss when she saw the boy's guileless eyes. When she didn't say anything, he tilted his head in confusion.
"Who calls someone by their first name right after meeting them?" Asuna muttered. In Japan, using someone's first name usually meant you were very close.
She'd never heard a boy call her that before. In fact, she'd rarely heard it from girls, either, because her social circle was very small.
Her family were pretty much the only ones who called her that.
Kazuto looked puzzled. "You don't like me calling you that?"
"It's not that I don't like it. It just feels a little strange when we've only known each other for a short time." Asuna jogged over to the cram school entrance and waved goodbye to Kazuto. "I'm taking English. I should head up, or I'll be late."
Kazuto nodded and left.
After that, he'd make a point of stopping by to chat with Asuna on his way past in the mornings, just talking about everyday things.
Asuna was simple-hearted. After that first round of complaining about her family, she spent most of their time listening with curiosity as the boy bragged about how good he was at video games.
Today was no different. The boy was waiting outside Asuna's house early, holding two bottles of drinks. When she came out, he waved to her. Asuna hurried over and pulled him away, whispering, "My mother's inside. Keep your voice down. If she finds out I've made a male friend she doesn't know, she'll be angry."
Kazuto thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "I have a way to get your mom to let me spend time with you—and you won't have to go to that cram school anymore."
"Huh?" Asuna scratched her head. To be honest, she'd wanted to laugh. She barely managed to hold it in and pretended to be serious. "Let's hear it."
Kazuto looked at her. It was obvious she didn't believe him.
"I can tutor you in English. And French and German, too. Though Chinese is what I'm best at," Kazuto said with a straight face.
"Pfft." Asuna burst out laughing. She pointed at Kazuto, who was even shorter than her, then pointed at herself.
She wanted to pinch his little cheek, but he dodged her with a perfectly blank expression.
Kazuto calmly said a few words in English, then switched to Chinese, followed by French and German. Asuna was left staring at him in amazement.
She pointed at Kazuto, her expression stiff, then suddenly asked, "Um, where do you go to school?"
Kazuto gave her a curious look. "School? I taught myself all this stuff. And, by the way, I've already earned a university degree through independent study."
Asuna fell silent, thinking it over. Then she suddenly understood.
No wonder he had so much time to play video games.
He'd already done all the things everyone else was supposed to do.
At the thought, Asuna couldn't help feeling tears well up in her eyes.
If she had that kind of talent, her mother would probably wake up laughing in her dreams.
After a light cough, Asuna put on a serious expression and asked earnestly, "What would it take for me to stop going to cram school?"