Chapter 63

Scott’s Hometown

Standing on the busy streets of Menqiu City during the day, both Juan and Pedro paused, which was rare.

Just then, Scott’s voice timidly sounded in Juan’s mind—

“Hey, you two… If you don’t have any particular place to go… how about I be your guide? In my past life, this is where I grew up…”

“And actually, I’d like to see some people I knew back then. If possible… I’d like to visit my dads from that life…” Scott’s voice grew softer and softer, barely audible by the end.

Without changing his expression, Juan asked in his mind which direction they should go. He then casually turned in that direction.

Pedro slipped his hands into his pockets and followed, while their tall bodyguard team in black suits trailed closely behind them. Together, they made a striking sight in the streets of Menqiu City.

“This won’t do. You’ll need to change clothes; those four bodyguards look too conspicuous—anyone can tell they aren’t locals, and they’d terrify everyone in the shops I used to go to,” Scott muttered in Juan’s mind. “You two are dressed plainly enough, but it’s clearly not the local style. People here will know you’re outsiders and might overcharge you.”

“Before we go anywhere else, let’s get you some new outfits,” Scott suggested to Juan.

Having found Pedro and without any particular plans, Juan readily agreed to Scott’s suggestions. Under Scott’s guidance, the group navigated the bustling, spacious streets, turning here and there. The surroundings grew more vibrant and crowded with people.

Finally, they reached a small storefront.

It was a modest shop with no name displayed, only several photos of hover bikes posted at the entrance. Yet customers streamed in and out constantly.

Judging by the photos outside, Juan initially thought it was a hover bike shop. But once they entered, he saw that the walls were lined with a variety of clothes and realized it was actually a clothing store.

“This is the most famous clothing store here. It’s been open even longer than the custom suit shop Grandpa took you to yesterday! The owner doesn’t make clothes, but he’s amazing at selecting outfits. The clothes he picks are always unique, with just one of each design, so you’ll never have to worry about someone else wearing the same thing!”

Excited, Scott pointed inside, leading Juan in. When he spotted a black jacket hanging at the end of an aisle, he lit up. “Wow! That jacket was a favorite in my last life too! I always wanted it, but I couldn’t afford it back then. Now…”

Realizing he was still broke, Scott’s enthusiasm waned. He hesitated, glancing at Juan. “Uh… I was just thinking about getting you some clothes, but… I’d have to use your money…”

Juan replied simply, “It’s your money.” He took the black jacket down from the wall.

“But if it weren’t for you, Grandpa would never have given me this much money… Last time, he left me an inheritance only in his will…” Scott murmured, going quiet when he saw Juan holding the jacket for him.

To his past self, this jacket was an unattainable dream, something he couldn’t buy even after saving up. But now, in his present life, this jacket was much more than that—it had become a symbol.

A symbol proving that his memories of his past life were real!

As he drew closer to his hometown, his emotions grew complex, and he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. A part of him was afraid, worried that his so-called “past life” was merely a dream. Yet, when he found this shop again and saw this same jacket hanging there, he suddenly felt grounded.

Without any hesitation, he pointed Juan toward other clothes in the shop, picking out pieces with Juan’s help and eventually assembling an outfit for Pedro as well.

He seemed quite skilled at selecting outfits, and after taking Pedro’s usual style into account, he picked out a hoodie, pants, and boots. Although they didn’t buy new boots, he added a transparent jacket to the look.

“Your current hoodie isn’t bad, actually,” Scott explained through Juan. “But if you were a local, you’d definitely choose one with a hood. Here, it rains often, so all of our hoodies come with hoods.”

He gestured for Juan to hand Pedro the transparent jacket. “Locals here like pairing hoodies with transparent jackets—they’re water-resistant, keep out the wind, and at night, the jacket reflects light. It looks really cool!”

Pedro raised an eyebrow, looking at the three pieces of clothing before letting out a long “Oh.” His gaze lingered on the hooded hoodie for quite a while.

So, there was a flaw in his operation yesterday, was there?

The flaw was his hoodless hoodie. Could it be that his past self’s photo got exposed because of this hoodie?

Seems like he’d have to pay more attention to his attire on future missions.

With this thought, Pedro looked over at Juan, his gaze seemingly penetrating him and focusing directly on Scott within. He stared long enough to make Scott feel a bit nervous, and finally, Pedro shrugged off his old hoodie and put on the new one.

The simple act of changing clothes caught the attention of everyone nearby. His physique, briefly exposed, was remarkable.

For someone hovering between adolescence and adulthood, Pedro’s build was perfect—not too thick, with a hint of youthful slenderness. Yet his muscles were lean and powerful, and a few shallow scars gave him a subtly dangerous edge.

It was an impressive physique. Although he was only exposed for a moment, it was enough to make those who noticed blush and their hearts race.

The passersby saw only a well-built, enviable body, but for the four bodyguards surrounding Pedro, the scars told a story of skill and survival.

Many scars were dangerously close to vital areas—a testament to how many times he’d narrowly escaped death.

While most onlookers only glanced briefly, Juan was the one who kept his eyes on Pedro.

Seeing the calm way Juan was looking at him, Pedro gave a playful grin. “Not bad, right? Last time I was too skinny to have abs, but now I’ve got the real deal!”

When Juan continued to look at him with the same expression, Pedro leaned in and muttered, “After we split up, I got annoyed thinking about that fight I lost, so I went to a place where I could train my combat skills.”

“Real combat training really helps. I took some hits at first, but don’t worry—the other guys got it worse than I did.”

After a pause, he added, “And they were all bad guys.”

Then he looked up carefully at Juan—

Juan’s expression was unchanged, but recalling the scars he’d seen on Pedro, his mind instantly simulated the scenarios in which those wounds could have occurred, the work of a combat expert like himself.

As his eyes focused on Pedro’s face, he visualized an opponent striking from an unexpected angle, with Pedro dodging just in time…

“Your dodges are good, but they could be better.” With other dodging strategies in mind, Juan told Pedro, “Next time, I’ll spar with you.”

Pedro blinked, surprised by this response. After a moment, he grinned and replied, “Alright~”

As for Scott, he was the only one solely focused on clothes. He didn’t realize that his outfit selection had sparked new ideas for Pedro, nor did he notice the brief glimpse of Pedro’s physique. Immersed in nostalgia, he picked an outfit for himself and even chose clothes for the four bodyguards in various styles. When everyone emerged from the fitting rooms in their new outfits, even the typically stern-faced bodyguards looked a bit more relaxed. As for Juan—

Seeing Scott’s style in the mirror, so different from when they first met, he commented, “You actually resemble your grandfather quite a bit.”

Scott, intrigued, looked at his reflection. “Is it my appearance? Nico says I look like Grandpa, but I don’t really see it!”

“No, it’s not your looks.” Satisfied, Juan left the mirror.

“Huh? If it’s not looks, what is it?” Scott asked, even more curious.

“You both like buying clothes for people,” Juan replied, taking out the white card Old Blicha had given him and using it to pay for everyone’s clothes. Then they left the store together.

Dressed in the outfits Scott had carefully coordinated, they now looked indistinguishable from locals. Following Scott’s lead, they visited what he called “the best dessert shop in town,” “the game arcade with the best value,” and “the most delicious fried chicken place.” They even stopped by a stationery store near a school and a local market—places that tourists typically wouldn’t visit.

According to Scott, the owners of these shops were acquaintances from his past life, some even childhood friends. Wanting to help these friends earn a little extra, he persuaded Juan to make large purchases at each of these shops.

Though they spent quite a bit, they didn’t get overcharged. At the fried chicken place, the owner did consider it, but Scott subtly guided Juan to adjust his accent to sound more like a local, instantly putting the owner off that idea.

In fact, they even got a discount.

As they left, Juan, following Scott’s request, turned back and advised the owner, “Ade, you should cut back on the drinking. You already eat more fried chicken than most, and if you keep drinking like this every day, it won’t be good for your health.”

“This shop was left to him by his father,” Scott explained in Juan’s mind. “Ade grew up on fried chicken, and now that he’s running the place, he still eats it every day. Even a healthy body can’t take that kind of treatment…”

Though Ade couldn’t see Scott, he watched Juan’s departing figure in a daze.

This person knew he loved fried chicken and alcohol. Who could say something like that to him besides someone who knew him well? But… he didn’t remember ever meeting someone like that… Scratching his head, Ade went back to frying a new batch of wings.

Meanwhile, Scott led Juan to even more places, allowing him to reconnect with familiar faces from his past life.

If the first stops had been hidden gems known only to locals, the next stops were the places he frequented most often in his past life…

The barbershop where he got his hair cut every month;

The grocery store he visited daily;

The music school where he once worked…

Now, they were standing in the small music room where Scott had worked in his past life.

This music room was more like a display window, with only a piano and a bench in a tiny room facing the street. From inside, they could see the dirty, bustling street and the hurried passersby through the floor-to-ceiling glass.

Scott reached out, touching the familiar, worn keys, and spoke to the shop owner through Juan—

“Could you tell me who’s teaching piano here?”

Even in this big city in the post-apocalyptic world, few people learned classical instruments. In his past life, Scott knew only two people nearby who could play piano—himself and one of his two fathers, who had taught him.

But in this life, he hadn’t grown up here, and his fathers hadn’t adopted him. So, had they adopted someone else? If there was still a piano teacher here, could that person be the child who, in this life, had taken his place with his fathers?

Scott’s voice in Juan’s mind was thick with emotion, even a little choked up as he posed the question.

At that moment, Scott was grateful that Juan, not himself, was controlling his body, as he listened to Juan ask the question with perfect calm. His own mind was blank.

Then, he heard his old boss from his past life reply—

“No, actually, this piano is just for display. The only local who knows how to play is busy with other work and doesn’t have the time to teach piano…”

That one sentence settled it.

If he still had his own body, Scott thought he might have jumped up with joy—if he could jump at all.

But since Juan was in control, he simply nodded coolly. Then, accompanied by the music shop owner, they walked toward the exit. Just as they reached the door, two men walked in from outside.

They seemed to be friends of the owner. After a quick greeting, they headed further into the shop, and Scott realized they were headed toward the small piano room.

Noticing Juan’s gaze, the shop owner chuckled, explaining, “That’s the only person around here who knows how to play piano. Even though he didn’t take my offer to work here, he does come in to play after work sometimes. I don’t even know where he learned piano—there are so few players left these days…”

The owner kept talking, but Juan wasn’t listening.

At the sight of the two men, warm tears blurred his vision. Without needing to ask Scott, he understood who they were.