On Tuesday morning Ten's crying and fussing woke up both Ataru and Lum. Apparently he was hungry. Lum got him something from the fridge and noticed both she and the young boy still had black hair with no horns. As she moved around she had a spaced-out look on her face, as if she was unfocused, until she and the young boy settled down in the dining room. Ataru noticed and got uncomfortable about it, but when he asked her what was wrong she didn't respond until the second time he asked.

"What? Oh, sorry Darling, but... I... had a very odd dream last night and... I'm kinda... scared."

"Why? What was it about?"

Lum shivered and closed her eyes, as if trying to fight off a bad mental image. "I... I saw... myself, I think. But I... wasn't me. I was... human." She replied before looking back at the boy next to her. "I saw myself, but... it was like I was human all my life. Human school, human friends, even Ran-chan, and even my parents were humans too. I only saw myself as an oni towards the end of my dream, but it... didn't feel... well, real. But the rest of the dream did, almost like memories."

Ataru didn't understand. "Are you saying it felt like you were never an alien? Why does that scare you?"

"Because, it feels like everything I thought I knew about me is a lie, some kind of delusion." Lum responded, trying not to sound irrational or hysterical. "What am I? Am I a human that was tricked into believing I'm an alien for a year? Or am I an alien that's been transformed into a human and someone's messing with my head?"

"Well, considering all we've been through in the past year, is it really hard to believe the last option?" Ataru asked, hoping to comfort her.

It didn't seem to work. "But Darling, why do those dreams feel so much like forgotten memories? Why can't I remember how to fly or generate electricity? And as for all we've been through, why does all that stuff feel so... ludicrous and impossible? Time travel, demon possessions, ghosts, clones, you constantly getting hurt in ways that should cripple a person but back to normal in no time." She paused to take a deep breath. "It feels like our lives are the result of someone combining science fiction and fantasy. Does it really feel... real to you anymore?"

Ataru shook his head. "Not really. I didn't have any weird dreams last night like you, but when I think about all the things last year, it feels... like you said, impossible. Like we've been living in some kind of slapstick comedy anime."

Lum relaxed and looked at Ten, who was staying quiet but watching them talk with interest as he finished his breakfast. "So what now? Either that's all been a lie and we're now 'waking up', or we're now being fooled into thinking we've been delusional. Neither feels good, and I wonder 'Why?' in the first place for either one."

Ataru's parents, still in their pajamas, entered with two cups of coffee and noticed the two teens. "Boy, you two look like you've each lost your best friend." Mr. Moroboshi commented.

Lum just sat there. "I feel like I don't know who I am anymore, Moroboshi-san."

"Well, here's some good news." Mrs. Moroboshi added. "We heard on our alarm clock radio that schools been cancelled for the rest of the week. Apparently the faculty have been bothered by something."

"Guess we're not the only ones noticing changes and wondering what's going on." Ataru replied, relieved he got a holiday.

The four of them then got around to eating their own breakfasts and trying to understand the situation. Nobody could come up with a reasonable solution, except that maybe, like Lum had said, that they all had been tricked over the past year. They made several calls in the afternoon to friends, who were going through their own shocks, but got no definitive answers. Mendou, when they called him, did suggest they got together at one of their hangouts the next day to discuss it in person. He couldn't do it today since he was still trying to locate his sister.

When night came, Ataru and Lum were out on his balcony looking at the stars together. "Darling, remember those dreams I told you about this morning? The ones that felt like memories?" At his nod, she continued. "Well, now, they... feel much more real. And my memories about being an alien... are so thin they feel more like something I imagined. Like they were never real."

"So you think you might actually be a human?" Ataru asked.

She weakly nodded. "Yeah. And... I might have been one the whole time." She paused for a moment. "What the hell have I been doing the past year? Was I running but believing I was flying? Did I really go out in public in a bikini all the time? How much of the time we've been together was real?"

"All of it." Ataru told her, gaining her full but confused attention. "Maybe you're right and we've been tricked and will never know what caused it or what we really did then, but we were together all that time. Maybe the events weren't real, but us being together definitely was."

Lum shed a happy tear. "One thing I know for sure, my feelings for you Darling, are no delusion. I really love you." She then gave him a quick peck on his cheek, making him blush but no further reaction. "You don't have to say it back. I'm not sure if the me you know is the real me or not."

"The oni you, or the cute, jealous, forgiving, assertive you?" He asked with a grin. "Well, I'm not sure if I love you, but I do know I don't want you out of my life. Besides, can you love an unfaithful, flirtacious pervert?"

Lum put her arm around his shoulder. "How do we know that's the real you? If I've been tricked into thinking I'm an alien, maybe you've been tricked too."

Ataru figured she had a point. All day long he hadn't had a perverted thought. Could he have been fooled too, just in a different way? "But if that's not me, then how can you say you love me if I'm different than what you know?"

"I've seen you at your best and at your worst. Besides, I know my own heart at the least." She told him.

Ataru felt flattered and undeserving. "Lum, I still don't feel ready for marriage, but if that's really how you feel in spite of all this, how would you like it if we tried being a real couple? Y'know, dating and stuff like that?" It was weird how the him from last week would never think of suggesting this, but now he felt like this was a good idea.

Lum's heart leaped and she hugged the boy tightly. "Yes Darling, I'd love that. Don't worry about marriage for now. I'm not feeling really ready for that anymore anyway. I'd like us to get the know the other, the real other, better now."

A little later, both went to sleep in Ataru's room, and had more dreams that felt more like resurfacing memories. Lum had more of these than Ataru did. On Wednesday morning, both felt more level-headed. And less uncertain.

"Darling, I... I think I can remember everything now." Lum told him when both were awake. "I really am a human, and I've lived in this town since I was eight. My real name is Redetto Ramuko, Ten is actually my little brother, not my cousin, and my parents have a house I used to live at until all of this happened. I remember dressing up as an alien, as you know me best, for some kind of themed party, but after that, something must have convinced me I actually was an alien."

"Glad to see you feel better." Ataru told her. "My memories are pretty much the same as they've always been, but I remember I never acted like some crazy pervert before last year. Sure, I liked looking at erotic pictures like all teenage boys do, but I wasn't some sort of obsessive tail-chaser. Looking back, I'm disgusted with myself. Are you really willing to give me a chance in spite of all that?"

Lum, or actually Ramuko, nodded. "That wasn't really you. You were just convinced that that's who you were supposed to be. You're a victim like me, and if you can give me a chance despite my aggressive behavior, I can certainly give you one too."

At that moment, Mrs. Moroboshi entered the room. "Son, I'm so sorry." She said in tears, looking like she had lost a loved one. "I've been a horrible mother to you for the past year, constantly wishing you had never been born. Even saying it to your face. What kind of woman am I?"

"It's okay Okaa-san. I don't think you never really meant it. Besides, I wasn't exactly the best person either, so why don't we forget it?" Ataru told her.

Mrs. Moroboshi's tears seemed to stop, but her face still looked sad. "Even so, I have to make it up to you. I can't just pretend I was never rude, especially to my own child." She pulled out a large amount of yen. "Here. You two go spoil yourselves for the day. I'll watch over Ten."

Ataru and Ramuko/Lum were surprised. "We can't take that."

"Yes you can." Mrs. Moroboshi countered. "Money's not as tight as we thought. We only have one mortgage and my husband is better paid than you might remember. We can spare this much for you two to enjoy yourselves. Now go have fun." She told them in a 'I'm not taking no for an answer' tone of voice.

No real reason to argue, Ataru and Ramuko/Lum got dressed and went outside, with lots of yen in their pockets. Ataru put on brown pants with a long-sleeved orange shirt while Ramuko/Lum wore a green skirt and a yellow T-shirt. Their first stop was a gyuudon hut Ataru liked, then they rented rollerskates at Nerima park and skated around. Apparently the town was actually called Nerima instead of Tomobiki, although their school was called that still. Ramuko/Lum moved on skates as if she still could fly. Both noticed they got a lot of weird looks from other people most of the morning.

"Guess everyone else realizes how absurd things were over the past year." Ramuko/Lum stated.

"Well, we did kind of make a spectacle out of ourselves most of the time." Ataru replied.

"I bet most of the men are upset I'm not flashing my figure around anymore." Ramuko/Lum added with a small hint of a blush afterwards.

"I wonder what caused all this to happen. A whole town can't go crazy all at once without reason."

Ramuko/Lum nodded, then saw Ran come towards them. This time the redhead(now it looked dyed) wasn't wearing something extremely frilly or overly girly, just casual clothes like Lum herself. "Hi Lu... I mean, Ramuko-chan. Everything okay?" Even her voice was different, neither overly cute or fierce.

Ramuko/Lum nodded. "Yeah. Just trying to figure out what happened."

"Same here. Maybe we'll never know." Ran responded with a shrug. "By the way, I got a call from your classmate Mendou Shutaro-kun this morning. He said he got ahold of several of us from school and wanted me to go to Nerima park soon. Are you guys going too?"

The young couple looked at each other before looking back at her. "We must have missed the call. But sure. It should be interesting." With that, the three went over to the other side of the park and found several recognizable people already gathered there.

Mendou stood against a tree in a blue shirt and black jeans without his sword. Shinobu sat on a bench in a green blouse with orange trim and a blue skirt. Next to her was Ryuunosuke actually wearing girl clothes, a white blouse with a lavendar vertical stripe and a deep blue dress. The four Stormtroopers sat on the grass together wearing normal outfits for warm weather in various colors. Benten and Oyuki were there too, sitting on another bench with some space between them, but neither were dressed as aliens. Benten wore a brown tank top with cut-offs and Oyuki wore a white shirt with a black skirt that had some white stripes at the bottom. Rei was there too, dressed as a tough guy leaning against a tree and munching on some dango.

Rei was the first to notice the three approach and held up a hand to wave. "Yo." He said plainly in greeting, making Ataru and Ramuko/Lum twitch, thinking he wasn't really any different now. Ran chuckled and went up to him and hugged. Apparently she wasn't too different either.

Mendou noticed them too and so did everyone else. "Ah, glad you two could make it. I was afraid you wouldn't. But since this is basically everybody, perhaps some light could be shed on all this commotion."

Megane, proving he was still a natural speaker, was the first to open the floor. "It's obvious we've all been the victims of some sick kind of joke. I'm not sure what exactly has been going on over the past year, but there's one thing I've got to say. My real name is Satoshi, not Megane. I don't know why anybody, even me, thought otherwise. Seriously, who'd name their child Megane?" The rest of the stormtroopers then added their real names too. Perm was actually Kosuke, Chibi was actually Akira, and Kakugari was actually Hiroyuki. "Does anybody else have anything they'd like to straighten out too?" Satoshi/Megane asked when they finished.

Shinobu was the first to say anything and she sounded sad or ashamed when she did. "Yeah. I'm not actually ridiculously strong. I'm just average. And my 'boyfriend' Inabi apparently doesn't exist. Just some figment of my imagination."

Next came Ryuunosuke. "Well, I wish I could say my name was something else but it's not. My life story is pretty much what you know. Only thing different now is that Oyaji finally realizes I'm a woman and is letting me be one. 'Bout damn time I say."

Ran took her turn. "I'm not an alien, I can't steal youth with a kiss, and I have no split personality. Other than that, nothing else."

Benten tapped her foot and spoke. "I'm no alien either. I do like bikes and competing, but I'm actually from Kyoutou and I stopped here for a competition, then... whatever happened, happened. I never knew any of you before this."

Oyuki cleared her hroat. "My situation is similar. I never knew anybody here before this chaos either, not even you Lum-san." She told the young girl, unaware of her real name. "I came here from Hokaidou to help a relative then... all this happened. I really should get home now."

"Me too. Can't wait to get somewhere normal." Benten added.

"Well, I hope you two can put all this behind you someday." Ramuko/Lum told them. "My real name is Ramuko and I'm not an alien either. I think the only thing about me anyone knows that is real is my feelings for Ataru here." She intertwined her arm with his as she finished.

Ataru noticed the looks on the stormtroopers and figured their infatuation wasn't fake either. "Well, I'm still the same except I'm not actually some kind of oversexed deviant."

"Thank kami." Ryuunosuke could be heard muttering.

Rei then cleared his throat and said more than anyone had ever heard before. "Well, I'm still a man of few words, I like to eat, and I want to be a pilot. Except for the fact I'm not an alien, I'm still the same."

Mendou nodded. "Same for me. Only real difference is that my family isn't as rich as I claimed it was. I won't tell you the real amount since I myself am not sure. I think my little sister Ryouko-imouto was more affected by all this then myself since she's apparently being contained in some kind of quarantine. Or so my parents told me after talking with police this morning."

Ramuko/Lum sighed. "So I guess Ran-chan was right. We may never know what messed up our heads. Guess all we can do is get our lives back on track."

Benten stood up and dusted off her clothes. "Well, I don't know about you, but I've had enough of this sci-fi convention. I'm going back to Kyoutou. Sorry if I'm being rude, but I can't honestly say I'll miss this place." Everybody just waved her goodbye and wished her well as she disappeared from their lives, shortly followed by Oyuki.

Everyone soon parted after that. Ran and Rei went back to her apartment, not a spaceship, to get themselves in order. Ryuunosuke went back to the Hamachaya and Mendou went back to his estate. Shinobu tagged along with him for a time, hoping to possibly restart their relationship since his arranged engagement to Asuka apparently wasn't real. The stormtroopers tried to ask Ramuko/Lum out, but she declined and went back on her day out with Ataru.

When they got back to the Moroboshi house, they saw Ramuko/Lum's parents waiting for them, with Ten in tow. Her father, Mr. Redetto, wore a common business suit instead of a tiger-striped jumpsuit while Mrs. Redetto wore an orange dress very similar to the tiger-striped one everyone remembered her wearing.

Mrs. Redetto surprised everyone when she greeted her daughter. "Hello dear, did you have fun?" She apparently now could speak Japanese.

Ramuko/Lum nodded. "Yeah, Darling was a perfect gentleman, for once." She ended with a slight teasing tone.

Her father approached. "Well Ramuko, what do you say you come back home with us? Now that we've... well, gotten back to normal, there's no reason not to."

Ramuko/Lum looked to her parents, to Ataru, then to her parents again. "Maybe I should. It'll help me feel normal again. I'll just go get my stuff." With that, she went up to Ataru's room to get her things, while Ataru talked to her parents hoping to keep a good image to them. Luckily that wasn't too hard since they've always liked him.

Ramuko/Lum came down with a suitcase and kissed Ataru's cheek. "Bye Darling. See you in school or maybe sooner."

Ataru got an idea and a wicked grin. "Say, Lum," he said, intentionally using what they decided would be her nickname between them, before pulling out a notepad and a pen. "What's your address and phone number?"

She laughed softly at the joke. "Don't ever change Darling."

That evening, back at a police department building, detectives Kurama and Kawakotsu had a discussion over the events in Nerima. "How does everything check up there?" Kawakotsu asked.

Kurama smirked. "Just as expected. The effects of the drug have worn off and everyone in that town remembers how things are supposed to be. There may be some confusion as people try to figure out why all this happened and they try to get their lives back on track, but soon it'll be just a bad memory for most."

"That's good."

Kurama nodded. "So what's going to be done with the Mendou girl?"

"We've already explained the situation to her parents this morning. They didn't seem to like it, but this finally convinced them that their daughter needed to suffer the consequences of her actions. They asked that info regarding her not be released to save face, but they won't stop us from applying justice to her."

"Wonder what she should get for turning a whole town into a circus. Think any judge will go easy on her?"

Kawakotsu started counting off his fingers. "Possession of drugs, breaking and entering, endangering the public health, possession of explosives. That and we have good authority that her family won't try to buy her innocence. I'd say this girl's going away for a long time."

Kurama shrugged unsympathetically. "Can't say I feel bad for her."

With that said and done, the two detectives turned to other matters, and like most people in Nerima, went on with their lives.