Wanda's eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance at Luke's casual command.
She looked down at her petite frame and let out a quiet sigh.
At just sixteen, she was already far more mature than most girls her age, life in the orphanage had seen to that.
And yet, her so-called older brother?
He was acting more childish than ever.
Who was really taking care of whom?
It was hard to say.
Of course, her feelings toward Luke were… complicated. More than just sisterly affection, that much was certain. But her clueless brother hadn't seemed to notice anything.
Two years older and still as dense as a rock.
Did he not see her as a woman? Was it because she didn't look the part? Was she not being obvious enough?
Wanda sighed again, dragging her feet toward the store entrance where the lucky cat statue sat.
The lucky cat was just a silly trinket, really. She didn't believe in superstition. If a little statue could really attract wealth, every house in New York would be overflowing with them.
Still, she didn't have any better ideas for improving the store's foot traffic.
Throw it down and kick it, huh?
That kind of childish behavior was just like Luke. But she couldn't bring herself to do something so ridiculous.
After glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Wanda knelt down and gently stroked the lucky cat's head, treating it more like a real pet than a decoration.
"Lucky cat, lucky cat," she murmured, "can you really attract wealth?"
She cast a quick look over her shoulder. Luke was still glued to his screen, completely absorbed in whatever digital bloodbath he was partaking in.
"Idiot," she muttered affectionately.
Just then, a new system prompt echoed in Luke's head, surprisingly not game-related this time.
[Ding~ Because your lucky cat received heartfelt encouragement from the mistress, it has activated its Ultimate Fortune Function to attract customers to the store.]
Luke blinked in surprise, glancing up from his screen. Sure enough, there was Wanda, tenderly petting the cat statue like it was alive.
So that works too? He'd always kicked it around a few times just to get one or two bored passersby to wander in.
But this... This was different.
Coaxed by Wanda's gentle touch, the cat had gone into overdrive. A whole crowd might be on the way.
Luke grinned to himself.
Good girl. Maybe she was better suited to managing the store after all.
Then his eyes snapped back to the screen, his character had just been killed, his corpse now being disrespected by a gloating enemy who was still teabagging and spitting on him. Enraged, he slammed the respawn button and dove back into battle, determined to get revenge on that stupid gnome, for the Horde!.
…
Outside the store, three young men stood watching the entrance with predatory eyes.
Tattoos snaked down their arms, thick gold chains dangled from their necks, and their hair was dyed in shades that defied taste, bright red, blue, and platinum blond.
Local gang members.
Technically, Luke should have paid them protection money months ago, but the gang had been too busy with a turf war to bother. Now that things had settled, they were making the rounds.
The one with flaming red hair shoved open the store door with his foot, and the trio sauntered inside like they owned the place.
Luke didn't even look up.
He never bothered to greet customers, no matter who they were.
Wanda, still crouched by the lucky cat, noticed them enter and quickly stood up, her face lighting with a bright, welcoming smile.
Sure, they looked ridiculous, but she wasn't about to judge them by appearances.
They were customers. That was all that mattered.
Growing up in the orphanage, she'd seen plenty of boys dressing like this. Tattoos, loud clothes, dyed hair, it was all part of looking tough, part of survival.
The three gang members took their time surveying the shop.
It was shabby, cramped, and poorly stocked. A little bit of everything, but not enough of anything. Most shelves were half-empty or cluttered with dust.
They frowned. This didn't look like the kind of place that could pay much protection money.
Still, business was business.
Just as they were about to speak, Wanda stepped forward, her voice as warm as her smile.
"Welcome! How can I help you today?"
The gang members paused.
They were used to people looking at them with fear or resentment, no one ever greeted them with this kind of energy.
It was... disarming.
Strange, even.
But Wanda didn't care about their appearances. As far as she was concerned, money was money, what if they looked like gangsters? that was none of her business.
If they had cash to spend, she'd be the perfect host.
…
(So, new fanfic. Hope you guys like it, as always, I will be uploading advanced chapters to my Patreon /mysterion901 , there are currently just over 50 chapters available there for this ff, so check it out if you wish to read ahead and support me 🐢)