The first thing Chiba Mamoru saw when he strolled into the arcade on Friday afternoon was a familiar pair of odango belonging to one Tsukino Usagi. Up until then, the expression on his face could only have been described as "stormy", due in large part to getting a less-than-spectacular grade on a thesis he had spent two weeks straight writing, and a long, drawn-out verbal battle with the professor afterwards arguing over why it was less than spectacular. Unresearched and impractical, indeed! Mamoru thought with disgust as he shoved the now-highly-rumpled paper—titled "Dreams and their Meanings"—back into its folder. He wouldn’t know a decent thesis if one came up and bit him!

It didn’t help matters that he hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Between his dreams of the faceless, hauntingly beautiful princess that begged him to free her every night—which was, of course, the singular inspiration for writing that paper in the first place—and his frequent transformations into Tuxedo Kamen to help the Senshi in their fights against the Negaverse, he was beginning to feel more than a little run down. Luckily, there hadn’t been any youma attacks for nearly two weeks now, so he was getting some respite, at least.

Perhaps some Odango Therapy was just what the doctor ordered, he realized as he strolled casually over to the counter where Usagi was sitting with her little red-headed friend—Now what was her name? Naru?—and the arcade’s manager, Furuhata Motoki (who happened to be his best friend). She was leaning over the counter and whispering, as though sharing some great secret, and both Naru and Motoki were leaning in close to her, listening as she talked. Mamoru felt a smile pull at his face as he took in the sight, reminded suddenly of one of those Norman Rockwell paintings he’d seen of a girl and boy leaning close together to share a soda or something. She looked so cute like that, and he had to sternly remind his heart to stay down in his chest where it belonged.

He approached the trio, dark mood already vanishing by just looking at the golden-haired vision before him, and thought of the way her eyes glittered when she was mad and her cheeks would flush with heat when she yelled at him… Could there possibly be a more beautiful sight in the world? he wondered absently. Besides my dream princess, that is… he amended hastily, and with some guilt. He cared for the princess, really he did! He had no doubt in his mind that she was real, and that she was waiting for him to save her, and that she could at long last give him the key to his missing past. It was just that…at the moment, she was a dream and Usagi…well… Usagi wasn’t!

Motoki noticed him coming and straightened abruptly, flashing him a grin. "Kon’wa, Mamoru-kun," he greeted, perhaps a little more enthusiastically than normal. "Ogenkidesu ka?"

Usagi abruptly straightened at the mention of Mamoru’s name, but she didn’t turn around. He smiled at her back. "Ohoyo, Motoki-san," he replied absently. Then, "Oi, Odango Atama," he added smoothly, preparing for an immediate outburst.

To his surprise, she didn’t reply. She merely yawned a little and took a sip of her milkshake. "Naru-chan, did you see the new romance movie playing in the complex?" she asked her friend calmly, just as though Mamoru had never spoken to her. Mamoru blinked. Maybe she hadn’t heard him…

Naru appeared to be trying to hold back a grin. "Hai," she replied. "It looks so good! We should go see it tomorrow!"

Mamoru rolled his eyes. "Another chick flick?" he cut in. "Ne, Odango, isn’t your brain already filled with enough mush?"

"Yatta! That’s a great idea, Naru-chan," Usagi said eagerly, eyes sparkling. "And after that we can go back to your place to read manga. We could go to my house…" Her nose wrinkled. "…but Shingo-baka will be there, and you know what a pain he can be!"

Naru giggled. "I guess I’m lucky I’m an only child," she agreed.

Mamoru looked from one girl to the other in confusion, then turned to Motoki with a raised eyebrow that clearly asked, "What is going on here?"

Motoki merely smiled and turned away to concentrate on wiping off the already immaculate counter. It was much more fun to listen rather than to partake of this little drama, after all.

"Well," Usagi suddenly exclaimed, glancing at the delicate silver watch she wore around her wrist—a birthday present from her parents. "It’s getting late, so we’d better get home, Naru-chan. You’re staying over at my house tonight, ne?"

"Hai," Naru replied. "We can stop back at my place to pick up some clothes, and I just got a new movie we can watch, too."

"Sugoi!" Usagi exclaimed eagerly. "Let’s go! Ja ne, Motoki-onii-san! Thanks for the milkshake!"

"Yeah, thanks, Motoki-san," Naru echoed. Then, giving Mamoru—who was by then looking more than a little befuddled—a sly glance, she added coyly, "Ja, Mamoru-san!"

Usagi slid off the stool, grabbing her book bag and skipping out the door—nearly crashing into a customer coming in at the same time. With a cheerful "Gomen!" she skipped away down the sidewalk with Naru in tow.

She had not so much as glanced in Mamoru’s direction the entire time.

"What just happened here?" Mamoru asked bewilderedly as he slid onto the stool Usagi had just vacated.

Motoki laughed as he took in his friend’s expression. "Coffee?" he asked slyly. "Looks like you could use it."

"Hai, hai," came the dazed reply, and with another laugh Motoki poured him a cup of the strong brew.

"Motoki, what was that about?" Mamoru asked, giving his friend a strange glance. "I mean…you saw what just happened!"

"Don’t know what you’re talking about," Motoki replied innocently, setting the coffee down in front of him. "There ya go."

"What do you mean ‘don’t know what I’m talking about’?" Mamoru grumbled. "You were right there! You saw what she did! She…she completely ignored me! It was like I wasn’t even there!"

"Oh, that."

Mamoru’s gaze sharpened and honed in on his friend…who was looking entirely too innocent. "What’s going on, Motoki-kun?" he growled. "You know something."

Motoki laughed and held up his hands. "I’m just a simple manager! Why would I know anything about the goings on of a teenage girl?"

"Motoki-san…" Mamoru growled, not in the mood for one of his friend’s games.

"Okay, okay! Don’t get upset. You, my friend, are the lucky recipient of what is known as the Silent Treatment."

"Nani?" Mamoru shot him a blank look. "You’re joking, right?"

"Not at all," Motoki replied, smiling slightly as he leaned his arms on the counter. "Apparently, you’ve insulted Usagi-chan one too many times, and she’s decided it’s time to retaliate a little. So, until you get down on your knees and apologize to her for all the nasty things you’ve ever called her, she will not be speaking to you, looking at you, or so much as acknowledging your existence in any given way, shape, or form." He sat back, looking more than a little amused.

"Th-that’s crazy!" Mamoru stuttered. "Not talking to me? Not even looking at me? Ne, that’s just nuts! Anyway…if she thinks I’m gonna apologize to her…"

Motoki just grinned again and shook his head. "Well, today was the first day of your…er…‘treatment’, and I’d say it worked wonderfully. And if you could’ve seen the expression on your face, you’d have to agree with me," he replied.

"That doesn’t matter! The next time I call her a name she’ll turn on me screaming like she always does. No way that Odango can hold out ignoring me; I make her too mad!" Mamoru replied confidently.

Motoki chuckled. "Are you sure? She seems pretty determined to me," he teased. "Frankly, I think maybe this is just what you need."

"N-nani?!" Mamoru nearly choked on his coffee. "Just whose side are you on?!" he snapped.

"Ne, I’m not on any side. I’m just making a simple observation," Motoki replied honestly. "Look, you take advantage of Usagi every day, of her kindness and good-natured personality, even though any idiot can see how much you’re stuck on her. If it was anyone else, they’d have washed their hands of you by now, but she always has a kind word to say to you, even if you never have one to say to her. Demo…even she has a limit to her patience, and I think you’ve pushed it a little too far recently." He straightened and picked up the damp cloth he’d used to wipe the counter. "Maybe a few days without her is just what you need to realize how much you actually need her."

He walked away to wait on another customer, leaving a brooding Mamoru to stare thoughtfully into his coffee. But I already do know how much I need her, he thought indignantly, then abruptly scowled and shook his head. No need to get upset. It’s just some silly little phase. It can’t possibly last! Odango just doesn’t have the heart to be so malicious.

Somehow, his head was having a hard time convincing his heart of that…

"Did you see the look on his face?!" Naru squealed as she and Usagi skipped down the street together, laughing hysterically. "It was so kawaii!"

Usagi grinned. "I knocked his socks off!" she crowed. "Yatta! He never knew what hit him! Boy did that feel good to leave him the one sitting in the dust for a change! Sugoi! Wait’ll I tell the other girls! They’ll flip!"

"How long are you gonna keep it up?" Naru asked.

Usagi paused thoughtfully, then nodded, a determined expression crossing her face. "I’m gonna keep it up until Mamoru gets so fed up with being ignored that he practically begs me to start talking to him again!" she decided. "I want him to apologize for all the hateful things he said to me! I want him kneeling at my feet!"

"I don’t know, Usa-chan," Naru replied doubtfully. "That could be a long time. What if he doesn’t apologize at all? He’s pretty stubborn, you know."

"So am I!" Usagi sniffed. "Besides, Motoki-san assured me that a few days of the Silent Treatment ought to be enough to drive Mamoru-baka crazy. Maybe then he’ll realize that he can’t keep getting away with treating me like garbage!"

"If you say so," Naru replied, shrugging. "I hope you’re right, for both your sakes."