Luco
The two kids quickly changed into a set of loose sweatpants and a T-shirt they hadn't worn for a while.
"Mat, we're ready!" Joanne yelled out as she ran out of their room.
After the passing of their parents, John and Joanne holed themselves up in their room for an entire weekend, and since Matthew was also struggling with grief at that time, he didn't care for them well and let them wallow together. But after the weekend ended, both of them became balls of joy that livened up Matthews's life.
It was why, after their deaths, Matthew became so emotionless. They were the only reason he got over the death of his parents and was able to smile again. So, after they died, he lost any reason to do it again.
"Wait, wait, wait. We don't know where we're going yet. Which pizza do you guys want?" Matthew said lazily.
Currently, Matthew was still lying on the couch on his phone as he went through major news channels.
Though Matthew could remember all of his memories from his time on Earth, it was only the stuff he remembered. What if something relating to the Spiritual Qi rejuvenation happened, and he didn't notice it in the previous timeline?
Also, even if something important didn't happen, there were things he didn't know on the internet that could still help him. There was even a possibility that he could also have been thrown into a different timeline. Checking the news now was important.
Even though the possibility was slim if Matthew had been thrown into a random timeline, most of the plans he had made would need to be tossed out the window. After all, he was already thrown back in time, something he thought impossible. It wasn't so far-fetched if he was in a timeline he didn't know.
But thankfully, every news story he remembered from before matched perfectly with what he was currently reading. So even if he were in an alternate timeline, it shouldn't have derived much from his previous one.
After hearing Matthew's question, the twins pulled each other to the side and began discussing their possibilities in a low voice, as if they were afraid Matthew would hear them.
Matthew also didn't rush them and continued to scroll through his phone. The twins didn't take long, and after deciding, John answered, "Take us to Rozario's, the place on Benjamin Street."
Matthew remembered the familiar name, but he couldn't exactly remember it, so like an old man, he once again went through his memories, trying to remember the place, which didn't take long.
Rozario's was a mom-and-pop pizza shop with a stone brick oven. It was also the place that Matthew took them to eat the most after their parents died. He couldn't count the number of lunches and dinners the three spent there, which made it extremely sentimental in their hearts.
Not having any complaints himself, Matthew stood up and walked out of the apartment after locking up.
As Matthew walked to the elevator, his siblings were running around him, playing a makeshift game of tag in the hallway. At first, he was tempted to stop them, but seeing their blissful faces, he let them continue.
Sadly, the people on the floor didn't like the noise they were making, and after a man yelled for the two to be quiet from inside his apartment, John and Joanne stopped and walked quietly.
Once again in the elevator, Matthew looked at his quiet siblings and asked mysteriously, "Guys, what do you think of the Earth as it is now?"
Though it was an ambiguous question, John and Joanne were naive 12-year-olds and didn't think much about the underlying meaning in Matthews's words.
"Umm, it's fun! Phones are cool. That PlayStation 6 you got us was super cool, too!" Joanne said after a minute of thinking. John nodded at her words on the side.
Although he knew that he wouldn't get the answer he was looking for with such an ambiguous question, Matthew still took their replies to heart before asking the follow-up.
"Then what would you guys do if you suddenly got superpowers?" Matthew asked as the elevator reached the parking garage.
"It depends on what superpowers I get and how many I get." Joanne was the one to respond, also conveying John's thoughts.
"Then, let's say, super strength, super speed, and flight," Matthew answered as the elevator doors opened.
Though cultivation could give a lot more abilities than just those three, those were the most basic abilities that came from cultivation, besides longevity. Matthew didn't add immortality, though. He thought that it would be boring compared to the other 3.
"Then I'll be a hero! I'll make sure that the world is safe! I remember what Spiderman said: ``With great power comes great responsibility." John answered first.
However, before he could continue, Joanne smacked the back of his head and said, "Spiderman didn't say that. It was Uncle Ben. Idiot."
"Dammit, Joanne! I told you not to smack my head!" John angrily yelled as he pounced at her, trying to get revenge.
Sadly, Joanne was faster and managed to reach the car before he could. And after a long game of Ring-around-the-Rosie, John gave up.
"You can't hide forever! I'll get you back eventually." John threatened as he got in the back seat to rest.
"Mat! Can I sit in the front seat?" Joanne asked with pleading eyes.
She knew if she sat in the back next to him, all hell would break loose. Matthew also knew that, and he allowed it.
"What! That's not fair. I wanna sit in the front." John, in the back, protested.
However, his cries were mercilessly ignored as Matthew started the car and drove out of the parking garage.
Though he was aggrieved, John knew that crying anymore would be useless and pulled out his phone, preparing to shut out his surroundings on the drive to Rozario's.
But while John was in his own world, Joanne sat next to Matthew, looking him in the eyes as deeply as she could.
"Hey Mat, you've been acting weird today. Is something up?" Joanne asked.
Though what Joanne asked was highly intuitive and distressing for the reborn Matthew, he was able to keep a calm facial expression. Out of everyone that Matthew knew, he knew that Joanne was the one who would sense his abnormality.
John was more book-smart than Joanne, as, in school, John was always in honors classes. But Joanne was more street-smart and intuitive than her twin brother. Even if Matthew was able to keep straight faces and lie easily, that couldn't hide the odd plans he had for the two kids.
But Matthew knew he couldn't reveal anything yet, so he kept a straight face and spoke normally.
"What do you mean by weird?" Matthew asked as he still focused on the road in front of him.
"I don't know, but when you picked us up, you looked at us like you looked at the pictures of Mom and Dad. With those eyes full of sadness and regret," Joanne answered.
"It's almost the anniversary. I've been feeling a little wistful recently. Maybe it's just that." Matthew lied.
Joanne also didn't believe his words, but with no way to force out a confession from her older brother, she gave him an 'I'm watching you look' before pulling out her own phone.
Matthew, seeing her give up, sighed inwardly out of relief.
'Damn, why is she so intuitive? You're supposed to be a naive 12-year-old, not Sherlock Holmes. Why are you asking so many questions?' Matthew complained in his thoughts.
Thankfully, no one could read his mind.
Rozario's Pizzeria was closer than the middle school of the twins, and only after a few minutes of driving did the group of three arrive safely.
After parking the car and walking over, the group of three went inside, where the owner greeted them.
"Ay Matthew, how's it been? You haven't come by in a while. What's happening in life now?"
The owner was a burly-looking Italian man with a five-o'clock shadow that covered the entire bottom half of his face. He was also wearing a white T-shirt and loose gray sweatpants for comfort.
His current appearance was the hallmark of pizzeria owners.
"Hey, Luco. I've just been busy with school and work recently. The only reason we came today was that I promised them pizza." Matthew said as he sat down at a random table. "You two can order whatever you want. There's no price limit, but only order as much as you can eat. The leftovers are going to go to waste if you don't eat them here."
After gaining permission, the two ran up to the counter that was a head taller than them and ordered their usual, along with some extra things they would've usually not gotten.
Luco, happy for more business and to be able to catch up with the Miller kids, was all smiles as he completed the order.
Luco managed to complete the order quickly, and after serving the two kids, Luco completed the order quickly and sat down at Matthew's table to try and catch up as John and Joanne ate.
"So, how's university, Mat?" Luco asked as he sat down.
Though Matthew would rather be spending his time researching ways to get money fast, Luco was an old family friend who helped them get through some tough times. So out of respect for the man, Matthew put down his phone and talked with him.
Thankfully, Luco wasn't as keen as Joanne, and the questions he asked were very simple and easy to answer.
After about ten minutes of talking with the burly Italian man, Matthew noticed that John and Joanne had finished eating and were on their phones, waiting for him to finish talking with Luco.
So, taking the initiative to end the conversation, Matthew stood up and gave Luco a bear hug.
"Mat, why are you getting so emotional all of a sudden?" Luco asked, confused by the sudden act of affection.
"I just want to say thank you for how much you helped us in the past. The amount of free pizza you gave us was something I'll never forget. I promise to repay you eventually." Matthew spoke sincerely.
Through his many years in the cultivation world, Matthew knew that he was definitely no good man. But he always had key rules that he followed in his heart. And to appreciate and repay kindness was one of them.
Luco was one of the Miller family's biggest benefactors. Before the life insurance money from their parents came in, Matthew, John, and Joanne would go days without eating their fill.
But Luco, the owner of Rozario's Pizzeria, was someone who fed them when they had nothing. And Matthew, now destined to rise into prominence, swore he would repay Luco a hundredfold for what he gave them.
Luco, unaware of the true meaning behind Matthew's hug, merely chuckled a little before returning the hug.
"What happened to Ann and Joseph was tragic. And you being their child makes it my duty to help you. If it weren't for their loan, I would have had to close my pizzeria long ago. Though I gave you three a lot of free pizza, if anything, I still owe your family money." Luco laughed as they separated.
"Still, without those pizza slices you gave us, we wouldn't have made it this far," Matthew said as he shook his head.
"Then invite me to your graduation in a few years. That would be the best thing I could receive." Luco spoke after thinking for a second.
Matthew cringed a little at Luco's request, but he couldn't reveal the future yet, so instead of denying it, he nodded slightly and agreed.
'Though I won't invite you to my graduation, I'll make you an Immortal. That should be enough to repay our debt.' Matthew thought inwardly.
After exchanging some more pleasantries, Matthew and his siblings left Rozario's and went back to the car.
"Mat, where are we going now?" Joanne asked as she sat shotgun.
"First, we have to go to a hardware store," Matthew answered as he turned on the car.
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