[Western Crossover] I Run a General Store in Gotham

[Main story complete. Extra chapters are updating slowly.]

Bruce Raley and his associates had once again been blacklisted by a client for going too far. After calculating his savings, the team’s leader made a strategic decision:

If there’s no place for us here, there’s always somewhere else. The best of the thirty-six stratagems is to run!

So he coolly took his companions and headed far away, off to America to make a fresh start and achieve greater things

Or maybe not.

After a series of moves that looked as fierce as a tiger’s but ended up amounting to nothing, Bruce Raley thought he was simply solving a routine murder case. Instead, he nearly blew it and was grabbed by the back of the collar by an old butler who happened to be out.

“Sir, you seem remarkably familiar,” Alfred said evenly.

“You must have me mistaken for someone else. I’ve only been in America for a few weeks.”

“Oh, I suppose I am getting on in years, but I’m not so old that I can’t recognize someone. After all, you’re practically a copy of my master when he was young. I’m not exaggerating when I say you look exactly alike.”

Bruce Raley: …Wait, where did this dad come from??

Bruce Raley skipped the tutorial and came with his own team, a budget version of the Justice League’s Trinity. This setup crashed into his so hard it gave him the nerve to meet his dad’s disapproving stare head-on.

Bruce Raley: …Is it my fault that my setup overlaps with my dad’s?! And I just want to pick up some jobs and keep busy! Besides, it’s not like any of you don’t have a super-strong alien or a close-combat magic user on your team.

Kui E: I don’t see how I have anything to do with Superman. The Yato are afraid of sunlight, you know.

Altamon: …Uh.

Then one day…

Hal Jordan: Where did you pick up these interns? This team looks familiar. Never mind, I get it. It’s not too late to find successors! And you over there… yes, you three! If you have any questions, if those three don’t want to talk, you can ask me. The great Green Lantern can answer anything

Barry Allen: Allow me to say one thing… Have you noticed someone glaring at you?

The three who’d been called out: …

Bruce Raley, Batkid: …

Kui E, the one-punch knockout who floored an out-of-control Superman: …

Altamon Hishkov, the mage about to draw his blade: …

Bruce Raley: We’re just passing through. Carry on.

They really aren’t interns for the Justice League! They aren’t superheroes either, just an ordinary jack-of-all-trades shop!

[Important notes] Must read!!

* The story follows a trio of Batkids and leans toward an ensemble cast.

* The protagonist has no special advantages besides his brains and his teammates.

* This is my own take on the universe. The timeline is independent and serves the plot, and I’ve thrown in a bunch of random crossovers (?) along with mountains of headcanon.

* There’s SWB and Batfamily platonic content. The early chapters are my own take on detective stories; later on, it’s my take on brothers getting along and a happy family, with plenty of hopping between worlds.

* The Yato are from Gintama. I mainly borrow the setting here, and you don’t need to have read the original to follow along. Just know they’re an alien warrior race that can fight, eat a lot, and is afraid of the sun.

* Things that might annoy you: the author’s long-winded descriptions, rambling sentences, foreign characters whose names you may not remember, suffocating translationese, and more inner monologue than DC. This requires patience. If you can’t get through it, run. Everything listed here is true; the author is not joking. If you skip this warning, any problems or complaints are your own responsibility. If the package says it contains mango and warns people with allergies not to eat it, please read the label before buying… No, seriously, I’ve made the warning this long. If it’s not your cup of tea, don’t force yourself. And please don’t call a montage an interior monologue. All right, I’m really out of ideas…

* Again, if you can’t accept it, don’t try it. If you do try it and realize you can’t accept it, then take responsibility and don’t complain a second time about something the author has already warned you about. Don’t treat the author like a Trisolaran, okay? Okay.

* Uh, I won’t change the posting date, in case people suspect this wasn’t written entirely by hand. My style is kind of hard to explain. Also, the last two points have been repeated so many times; this is already the third addition. There are enough comments like that in the comments section. Go open it, give a like to someone who thinks just like you, and leave. The author won’t remove old comments, but will delete new comments of this sort, such as “I tried it and couldn’t accept the style.” (This rule takes effect from July 10, 2026.)

* Thanks to TK for the cover featuring the main trio snuggling with bunnies, cats, and dogs (not that they’re actually bunnies, cats, and dogs)!!

* I’ve turned on paragraph comments so everyone can have fun leaving notes.

* I’ll add more if I think of anything else.

Message: Sometimes love can grow naturally from trust, respect, and friendship. I’m willing to start with the last and end with the first.