To Cure A NEET

Chapter 21 -- I Am Going Back To School!?

"...come on Nanami! Wake up!"

I heard my sister say as she was stripping off the comforter as the cold air assaulted me. I opened my eyes, but the blinding light had stunned them tightly shut.

"Ugh, Keiko-chan! It is still dark outside! Even Amaterasu-sama is not up at this hour!"

"But Omiyanome-sama is! Now, get up!" she retorted. "You need to hurry up or you will be late for your first day!"

"But late for what!?" I asked, dragging myself out of bed. "Keiko-chan!?"

"Go take a quick shower; I will make you breakfast." she said as I stumbled off to the bathroom and took a five-minute shower just to wake up. I had noticed, by the clock on the wall, that it was barely 5:20am.

"I wonder what has gotten sister in such a mood?!" I pondered as I toweled off and walked out of the bathroom to where she had placed my clothes "Probably going for some crazy morning run!"

I glanced at my clothing as I picked up a clip-on blue-ribbon bow.

"What is this for?" I pondered as I tossed it aside and put on my white panties and white socks. I then took my white dress shirt and slipped it on and buttoned up to the collar. I then took the heavy-fabric pleated blue skirt, slipping it on and just over my shirt—tucking it in.

Next was a blue jacket with no buttons to secure it, draping it over my shoulders as the fabric blended in with the skirt, below. There were even special black dress shoes that I took from the dryer, glancing at them, perplexed.

"What strange jogging equipment!" as I slipped on the shoes and then snapped on the bow in the crevasse of the collar. When I glanced at myself in the mirror, I froze.

'Wait!' as an icy chill overcame me 'I have seen this outfit before!'

"Th—there are...un—uniform!" as I cupped my mouth, stunned "Oh my god! She is sending me back to school!" I shook my head in denial "No, th—this must be one of her cruel tricks! Besides, I never took any entrance exam! And it is far too late in the school year for enrollment!"

I wandered into the kitchen as my sister glanced down at me, her mouth agape. She had fixed a bento box and had it wrapped nicely in a camelia print furoshiki. Breakfast was already on the table.

"Uhm, Onee-chan... f-for some strange reason...t-this seems awfully familiar!" as I was so insecure about myself.

"Aww!" she finally cried out, putting her hands together in glee "You now look just like a splitting image of my own Onee-chan! That was her winter uniform that she had left at the school!"

"Wait..." as I glanced at them, finally remembering where I had seen these before...almost 13 years prior! "...this is Nanami's school clothing!? Isn't it wrong to allow me to be wearing her clothes!?"

"I see nothing wrong with you wearing them." she pouted "You 'are' Nanami, after all!"

"No..." as I was steam-plowed by emotions "...I am not in the mood to be playing dress-up with you! Especially wearing my dearly-departed friend's clothing!"

"Now, now..." she held me as I trembled "...I knew this was going to be hard for you to accept; but you need to calm down."

"Sit, we need to talk."

I sat down as I already had a feeling that I knew the subject already.

"To be honest with you, I did not know how to proceed, and have been waiting until I saw progress in your growth as Nanami." she stated "As you know, we cannot exactly stop the drug right now, or you will end up in the spirit world. And over time, the effects of the drug will become longer lasting until one day, they will become permanent."