Will stood frozen in the middle of the campus walkway for a solid four or five seconds, unable to process what he just read in the Piano Association group chat.
Mia — the school's ice queen, the one girl on campus who turned down guys left and right — was now volunteering to teach Jason piano?
If Holly Larson was already way out of reach for 99% of the student body, Mia was on a whole other level — practically untouchable.
And Jason… this was the guy who just last week got Holly Larson to personally teach him how to drive a speedboat after buying one on the spot. Now Mia too? It was like watching the laws of reality break down right in front of him.
When Will dug a little deeper — he was in the Piano Association group, after all — the truth hit him like a truck.
A Steinway?
Jason actually went out and bought one for the music department — with his own money.
Will nearly dropped his phone.
It explained everything though. No pianist in their right mind could resist a chance to play on a Steinway D-274. Mia was no exception, apparently.
Will felt a bitter laugh escape his throat."Damn… so you really can do whatever you want if you've got money, huh?" he muttered under his breath. "Guess what I need to learn isn't piano. It's how to be that rich."
Meanwhile, over in the dining hall, Mike had nearly choked on his sandwich when he saw the group chat updates. He slammed his tray down and glared at Jason across the table.
"Bro. What the hell did you do? Didn't Mia reject you this afternoon? And now she's offering to teach you piano?"
Mike couldn't believe it. The four campus queens already had varying degrees of contact with Jason, but Mia was the last one who seemed above it all. And now even she was getting pulled into his orbit?
Across the table, his other friends — who weren't in the Piano Association chat — looked totally lost.
"Wait, wait, wait, How did Jason get involved with Mia? What did we miss?"
Jason just leaned back, calm as ever, and said, "I didn't do anything. Maybe she just thinks I'm handsome."
Normally, Mike would've thrown a fry at his face for saying something so cocky. But after everything Jason had pulled off lately, even he had to pause.
"...Honestly, maybe you are," Mike muttered.
Jason accepted Mia's friend request, sent a couple quick messages, then stood and grabbed his bag.
"School queen invited me to play piano," he said casually. "Gotta go."
Mike, and others just stared at him, looking like they might collectively throw up from sheer frustration.
When Jason arrived at the music building, a few piano majors were already in the room. They didn't say anything directly, but he could hear the whispers — curious, impressed, maybe even a little jealous.
At the Steinway, Mia was waiting.
She looked at him with the same cool, unreadable expression as before — no excitement, no friendliness, just professionalism. Even the world's finest grand piano couldn't thaw her attitude.
Jason had already decided he wasn't going to chase her or try to impress her beyond this. She wanted to teach? Fine. He wanted to learn? Also fine. If she warmed up, great. If not, he'd leve.
"Let's start," Mia said lightly, her tone as cold as her expression. "How much do you know?"
Jason shrugged. "Honestly? Pretty much nothing. I just learned the black and white keys the other day. There's… what, eighty-eight total, right?"
Mia paused, clearly surprised his foundation was that bad. But for the sake of the Steinway, she simply nodded and said, "Fine. We'll start from the very beginning. Scales first. Then basic notation."
As the lesson began, Jason quickly realized Mia wasn't exactly a natural teacher. Her piano skills were flawless, but she didn't know how to break things down for a beginner.
Still, Jason found it easier to pick things up than expected. Ever since his mental focus and dexterity had improved lately, his memory was sharper, his concentration better, and his fingers moved faster across the keys.
He wasn't here to flirt or force a connection. Just to learn.
And for now, that was enough.
To be honest, Mia still suspected that Jason had bought the Steinway just to get close to her.
But as she taught him, she gradually realized something was off — in a good way.
He wasn't here to flirt. He wasn't here to waste time. He was studying seriously.
And his talent? Way beyond what she expected.
Mia: Favorability +5
Name: MiaAge: 21Appearance: 8.9/10Height: 5'10"Weight: 122 lbsFavorability: 0 → 5
Jason was stunned for a second. Wait, that… raised her favorability?
It felt like one of those situations where you didn't even try, but somehow things just worked out.
He didn't think much about it though. Instead, he stayed focused on the lesson.
Before he knew it, two full hours had passed.
Mia finally said, "Okay. That's enough for today. Practice what you learned. We'll build on it next time."
"Got it. Thanks for teaching me," Jason said as he packed up. "I'll hit you up next time."
Then, without hesitation, he left.
Mia blinked, a little caught off guard. It was… unusual. Most guys his age would've at least tried to chat her up a bit after the lesson.
But him? He just treated her like a teacher. A tutor.
For some reason, she found that strangely… refreshing.
Shrugging off the thought, Mia turned back to the Steinway and began practicing on her own. Now that she had taught Jason, she felt no guilt about using the piano herself.
And as she played, a faint, unintentional smile crept across her face.
Other music students, who had been sneaking glances this whole time, were surprised too.
Jason hadn't tried to take advantage of the lesson in any way — no awkward touches, no flirty comments, nothing.
And when the lesson ended, he left without lingering, like he didn't even notice Mia's beauty.
It was as if, in his eyes, she was only a tutor.
A few of them whispered among themselves.
"Does he actually… just want to learn piano?"
The next morning, Jason showed up again. He didn't have class that day, but he came straight to the piano room and spent another two hours learning from Mia.
Same focus. Same seriousness. Same scary-fast progress.
Afterward, as he packed up, one of Mia's classmates — a cheerful brunette — approached him with a bright smile.
"Hey, Jason," she said. "Want to grab lunch with us in the music department cafeteria? You probably don't come here often, right? We've got some good stuff today."
She was partly being friendly… and partly trying to play matchmaker with him and Mia.
Jason smiled and shook his head. "Thanks, but I promised my roommate I'd get lunch with him today. Gonna treat him to roast duck over in the second cafeteria. Maybe next time."
Then he left.
The girls exchanged surprised looks.
"Wait… so he's not trying to get close to Mia?"
"He really does just want to learn piano."
"And the way he learns… it's crazy. The progress he's made in just two days?"
"Yeah. Absolute pitch, sure, Mia's got him beat. But memory? Finger speed? Focus? He's catching up fast."
"And he doesn't even glance at her when class ends. He just leaves."
One of them sighed. "A serious guy… is actually kinda hot."
Mia, watching Jason leave, felt the same flicker of appreciation in her chest.
Maybe she had misunderstood him at first.
Mia: Favorability +5
Across the room, some of the male music students had been watching all this play out.
The guy had just turned down an invitation to eat lunch with Mia.
With Mia.
One of them muttered in disbelief, "Is this dude… seriously choosing piano over the school queen? Is he… the mythical Sigma male?"
The others had no response.
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