Most people loathed Mondays, but not Haruto Ito. He had already found the job of his dreams. A job that allowed him to read manga and J-novels to his heart's desire. Haruto and his twin sister Natsume had the luck of working in the family business, a book store specializing in Japanese literature and comics.

Being located in a small town in the west, The store brought in very few visitors. But that's how Haruto liked it. Fewer customers meant less work. Less work left him more time to indulge in his hobbies.

Between stocking the shelves and operating at the checkout counter, Haruto had plenty of time to enjoy the newest issues of his favorite novels and manga. In Haruto's mind, he had the perfect job.

It was the beginning of the week, and their father left almost all affairs of his store in the sibling's hands. Haruto had been adhering to his morning route of organizing the store's various shelves before finding a quiet corner to read in. In contrast, Natsume had already started settling into thumbing through a new manga that had just come into stock.

Hearing a ring at the store's entrance, Haruto and Natsume turned to welcome their first customer of the day. Both brother and sister found themself taken back at first glance.

A woman entered the store wearing a dress that made Haruto think. A Cosplayer? She was wearing a type of lolita dress you would only see in anime or manga. But more than that, she was gorgeous, almost unnaturally beautiful. The lack of flaws made Haruto think of a doll. She was a far cry from the handful of regulars that came in from time to time.

Her surreal presence left them speechless. Completely disregarding Haruto's stare, the Woman walked directly past Haruto and approached the front counter where his sister sat. Giving a courteous bow, the Woman introduced herself as 'Antigone.'

Recovering from the Woman's sudden appearance, Natsume frantically composed herself to return the Woman's gesture the best she could. It was not in Natsume's nature to be rude, especially to a potential customer.

"I've been looking for you, Miss Natsume Ito" The Woman's grey eyes were a cold gaze as she spoke. " I wish to ask you a personal question. Would that be okay, Miss Ito?"

Natsume had always been a very anxious person. Like Haruto, she preferred the quiet of the store over human interaction. Not accustomed to dealing with a customer, she began to clam up. With a nervous nod, she agreed, "Yes… ask away"

"Very well, thank you, Miss Ito. There are two types of people in this world, lions, and rocketeers. Which one would you call yourself?" Antigone's voice was serene to the point of lacking emotion.

Natsume seemed to think about the question hard. After a few moments, she found her answer, "I guess I would be a lion. I don't see myself wanting to go into space anytime soon."

The room turned quiet as Antigone seemed to contemplate Natsume's answer "Yes, you would be one only to roam and protect the place you call home. Not wishing to go beyond the borders of the world, you know."

There was some truth to what she was saying. Natsume was the same as Haruto. Both grew up around people wishing to do great things and explore the world around them. But for the siblings, nothing appealed to them more than staying at their families book store and indulging in their Geek and Otaku habits. They did all their exploring in the worlds of the books they read.

It's just our luck that a crazy cosplayer girl walks into the store Thought Haruto. Worrying about his sister nerves he spoke up, "Are you going to buy something or just ask weird qu-"

Without facing Haruto, Antigone interjected, "You are not part of this conversation, refrain from speaking from this point forward. Thank you" Haruto was once again left speechless, he was not expecting such an insult.

"Thank you, Miss Ito. I found what I have been looking for," said Antigone. Making her way to the store's entrance, stopping at the doorway, and twirled around to face Natsume one last time. "I will see you again soon," with a quick bow Antigone left.

Both Haru and Natsume looked at each other, questioning what they had just witnessed. The Woman's last words weighed on Haruto's mind. 'I will see you again soon.' that comment mixed with the Woman's doll-like appearance left Haruto feeling uneasy.

A shiver ran down Haruto's spine. Something deep inside him warned that trouble was on its way. "Hey, sis, when we leave tonight, let's stick together." If Antigone showed up again, he would be there by his sister's side.

Natsume gave her brother a nervous nod, "yeah... but first, I need you to see this." she pointed to a monitor screen beside her.