Matthew Hayakawa would have you believe that he’s just another shiftless 19-year-old who whiles away his days watching his beloved Oklahoma City Thunder on TV and playing "Call of Duty" until the wee hours.

Don’t believe him.

"No, really," Hayakawa insists. "I’m a lazy guy at home."

And there’s the telling qualification — "at home."

Because with two jobs, a couple of college classes and a willingness to take on any worthy challenge, what slack there may be in Hayakawa’s schedule does not allow for much, well, slacking.

Hayakawa spends his mornings busing tables at the Gyotaku restaurant on South King Street, where he’s known by regulars for his easy smile and before-you-can-ask service.

At night, Hayakawa works as a host at the Kahala Zippy’s restaurant, welcoming and seating customers from 5 p.m. to midnight.

Between jobs, Hayakawa takes classes at Kapiolani Community College, where he’s laying the academic foundation for what he hopes will one day be a career in hospitality management.

"The jobs I have now are helping me to prepare for my career," he says. "I enjoy working with people. I like the fast pace and I like working as part of a team. Managing a restaurant or hotel would bring together everything I like in one job."

Hayakawa was born in Wahiawa and raised primarily in Kahala. His father, Robert, is a music teacher at Kaimuki Middle School; his mother, Vickie, a kindergarten teacher at Wilson Elementary.

Hayakawa credits his parents with being supportive while at the same time allowing him to find his own way and pursue his own interests.

At Assets School, those interests ranged from nature photography to wrestling.

Hayakawa said he took up wrestling as a sophomore because it "looked like fun." He endured the punishing training runs and long hours in the gym and on the mat with characteristic poise ("I didn’t hate it," he says) and found success competing for Pac-5 in the 108-pound weight class.

Though he is cautious about drawing unwarranted parallels, Hayakawa allows that he sometimes draws on the mental toughness he honed as a wrestler to make it through his long days.

"When things get difficult or when I feel tired and there are still hours to go, I just try to be patient, stay positive and get through it," he says. "Whatever happens I just want to do a good job and make the customers as happy as possible when they visit us."

The payoff, Hayakawa says, comes late in the evening, after the cycle of work and school and work has completed another revolution, maybe after an hour or so of "Call of Duty," when he finally lays head to pillow.

"I like the knowing that I had a good day at work," he says. "It’s that feeling that lets me know I did my best."