The school day passed quickly.
At six o'clock, as soon as classes ended, Rin Amane and his friend Hisashi Haruto hurried straight to their part-time job.
The place they worked at was a restaurant called "SWING", located just across from their school. It was a popular spot, well-known among students. Although officially called a "tea restaurant," it was more like a fusion between a Hong Kong–style café and a Western afternoon tea lounge. The menu featured everything from roast duck platters to steak with pasta, a blend of East and West that always drew a crowd.
The décor leaned artistic and retro, clearly aimed at young people. With an average price of 70–80 yen per person, it wasn't cheap, but still within reach for students who wanted to treat themselves.
That evening, the restaurant was especially lively—it was SWING's anniversary celebration.
The moment Rin and Haruto walked in, the restaurant's manager, Mr. Watanabe, rushed over, waving them onto the floor.
"Quick, quick! You two are late today!""Hurry up, no need to change uniforms first—table 7 and table 8 just got seated, go take their orders!"
Rin hadn't even had time to put his schoolbag away. Grabbing an order pad, he moved swiftly through the crowded aisles and stopped at table 8.
"Good evening—welcome! What would you like to order?" Rin switched instantly into work mode, smiling warmly at the two women seated there in office attire.
"One Swiss-style chicken rice… and…" The woman holding the menu furrowed her brows in thought.
Her friend nudged her gently under the table and whispered, "Hey, hey, look up!"
Puzzled, the woman lifted her head. The moment she met Rin's eyes, her face lit up.
"Little brother, are you still in school?" her friend teased playfully.
"Yes."
"You must be in high school still, right? Wait—are you from Seisho Academy just across the street?"
"That's right."
"With a face like that, you must have lots of girlfriends at school, hmm?"
Rin laughed softly, brushing it aside with a bright, sunny smile."You flatter me, miss. Our school doesn't allow dating."
"That makes sense… A hardworking student like you, balancing studies with a part-time job, wouldn't waste time on those things." The woman's gaze lingered on his features with open admiration, her eyes sparkling.
"Would you like to add anything else to your order?" Rin smoothly redirected the conversation, keeping it professional without missing a beat.
"Oh—right, right, I almost forgot!" Embarrassed, she quickly turned back to the menu."Let's add a double-cheese pineapple bun… and a fried rice."
"Our fried chicken steak is one of the house specials—just 38 yen."
"All right, we'll take one."
"The sizzling sirloin is also excellent, only 89 yen."
"That sounds good too, let's add that."
Her friend clutched her arm, wide-eyed. "Wait—just the two of us? Isn't that way too much?"
"It's fine, it's fine." The woman propped her chin in her hands, smiling at Rin as though she were blooming inside."If we can't finish, we'll just let little brother here help us out~"
"That will be all then, please."
"Understood." Rin took the menu with a polite smile and stepped away.
Effortlessly, he had secured a large order.
It wasn't the first time.
With his handsome features, tall frame—easily over 180 cm—and the fact that he was a diligent high schooler working after classes in such an upscale place, Rin practically had every advantage stacked in his favor. It was no wonder he attracted attention—especially from women.
Often, female customers would ask for his contact information. Rin always declined politely, saying he was too busy with schoolwork to use social apps. Most took it well, and would simply sigh: What a good student. If only I had met him a few years earlier…
For Rin, that was the best outcome.
Originally, the job only paid 30 yen per hour, but thanks to his stellar performance, even the notoriously stingy Manager Watanabe had raised his wage to 40. Among all the student part-timers, Rin earned the highest.
After all, with good looks, everything came easier—certainly better than working at some shabby massage parlor.
Haruto, of course, could only fume with jealousy. They worked the same hours, but Rin's pay was higher—sometimes by tens of yen a day. It drove him mad.
The busiest part of the night—the dinner rush—finally ended. Rin and Haruto leaned against the wall, taking a brief moment to rest.
As Rin idly scanned the restaurant, his gaze landed on table 8 again.
The two women were holding up a phone on the table, swaying their hands in front of the camera—almost like they were weaving some sort of hand signs.
Curious, Rin nudged Haruto."What are they doing?"
"Huh?" Haruto glanced over, then grinned knowingly."Oh, that's just TikTok. They're filming one of those trendy hand dances."
"TikTok?"
"Yeah!" Haruto smirked. "I forgot—you don't really use it. Everyone's on TikTok now! Our city's been pushing this whole 'internet celebrity' thing the past two years. Walk down the street and you'll see people filming everywhere."
He shook his head, sneering."But those two? Nah, they don't have the looks. That's why they crank the beauty filters up high and only show their upper bodies. If they were really good, they'd be shaking their hips on stream by now. These days, TikTok has turned half the people who used to work in sleazy massage joints into livestreamers."
Rin frowned at his crude comments, rubbing his chin thoughtfully."Do people ever post music videos there? Like, performing instruments?"
"Of course! Tons!" Haruto lit up at the question."Like, there's this one girl who plays piano, but every video only shows her lower half. Camera angle's always from above, right on her thighs. Bro, she's the queen of bait. I swear, if I don't watch her clips daily, I feel like I'm losing something."
Rin gave him a flat look. He had a pretty good idea who Haruto meant—she had a Bilibili account too—but to him, it wasn't as outrageous as Haruto made it sound. Different people had different perspectives.
Still, at the mention of piano, Rin's eyes shifted.
On the small platform in the middle of the restaurant, usually hidden beneath fake flowers, sat a grand piano. Tonight, its cover had been lifted.
"Why's that open?" Rin pointed.
"The piano? Oh, it's the anniversary. Makes sense," Haruto replied casually. "Probably just saving money by letting customers play instead of hiring someone. You know how cheap Manager Watanabe is."
Rin stared at the piano, deep in thought.
"What's up…?" Haruto noticed his expression, then followed his gaze. His face twisted into a grin."Wait. Don't tell me—you actually want to play?"
Rin said nothing. He simply kept his eyes fixed on the piano.
Haruto's grin faltered into alarm."Whoa, whoa, you're not serious, are you?! Don't gross me out—you didn't just watch one of those clickbait videos like 'Easy Piano Pieces That Make You Look Cool—Learn in Five Minutes!' and think you could pull it off, did you? Those tutorials are a scam!"
But Rin didn't answer.
Instead, he stepped away from the wall, walked through the crowd, and headed straight toward the piano.