◎Azure Blue Song◎

Is it that obvious?

Chun Zao was puzzled for a second, then put on airs: “What does it have to do with him?”

Chun Chang scoffed: “Zao Zao—you can fool others, but can you fool these sharp eyes of mine? I’m your real sister. Don’t I see your situation at a glance? And that guy next door, too.”

Chun Zao steadied herself, curious: “What about next door?”

“Looked quite uncomfortable when he saw me come,” Chun Chang rolled her eyes in the darkness: “If he wasn’t thinking of going after my family’s precious cabbage, there’d be nothing to feel uncomfortable about.”

Chun Zao couldn’t help but laugh.

She stopped denying it, only lowered her voice to warn repeatedly: “Don’t mess around, don’t really go ask him about this.”

She didn’t want to put Yuan Ye in an awkward position, same in one herself.

Chun Chang squinted and chuckled mockingly: “I can’t understand you young people’s interest in this guessing game. If you care so much about this point, just ask him directly.”

Chun Zao was quiet for a while: “What… qualification do I have…”

Hearing her sister belittle herself like this, Chun Chang was displeased: “Need an entry ticket to ask about a username? What, is he the emperor? Need to avoid taboo names?”

Chun Zao muttered: “What if I hear a result I don’t want to hear?” —Given Yuan Ye’s personality, he probably wouldn’t beat around the bush or brush it off carelessly.

Chun Chang disagreed: “But if you don’t ask, you’re the one who keeps consuming yourself internally.”

“Anyway…” Chun Zao said awkwardly: “It’s fine if I just don’t think about it.”

Chun Chang snorted, turned over, and hugged her arms: “Sleep. This corporate slave still has to work tomorrow, no spare time to be your love advisor.”

“I have to go to school, too, okay?”

“Then why aren’t you sleeping? Want to be late over a stupid question?”

“…”

Chun Zao also turned to her side, then picked up her phone again after a while, sliding it to the lowest brightness. She opened Yuan Ye’s profile page, stared for a moment, then stuffed it back under her pillow and closed her eyes to sleep.

—

Chun Chang worked for the domestic branch of a fashion magazine with relatively flexible hours. Usually she could sleep until eight or nine, but influenced by the inhuman schedule of high schoolers, today she had to get up two hours early.

Carrying two dark circles that almost hung to the corners of her mouth, she walked out of the room.

As soon as she stepped out, her footsteps stopped.

On the living room dining table were McDonald’s breakfast items, quite a variety, enough for the two sisters to eat their fill.

Getting all this… Chun Chang glanced at the door next door, clicked her tongue mentally, and walked toward the bathroom.

Chun Zao came out with her hair combed meticulously and also noticed the breakfast on the table. She ran to squeeze toothpaste next to her sister, starting the washbasin competition, and asked: “Did you buy breakfast?”

“The little handsome guy next door bought it.”

“Oh…”

“Rein in your mouth corners.” Chun Chang glanced at her through the mirror.

“…” Chun Zao immediately scrubbed foam frantically to hide her embarrassment.

After finishing up and coming out, Chun Chang sat down without a burden, unwrapped the package, took out a cheese egg burger, and bit into it: “Has he bought you breakfast before?”

Chun Zao sipped her soy milk: “On the first day after moving in, he bought some for us.”

“Mom accepted it?”

“Yes.”

“What did he buy that time?”

“Steamed dumplings, shumai, and such?” Chun Zao recalled: “I don’t remember too clearly.”

Chun Chang chewed while making a muffled judgment: “This kid’s pretty savvy, knows how to read people and act accordingly.”

Chun Zao was confused: “What do you mean?”

Chun Chang tapped her forehead: “Stupid.”

Then worriedly glanced at her sister sideways, saying in a tiny voice: “How can you match him?”

Chun Zao was even more puzzled, also communicating in low decibels: “Match what?”

Sigh.

Chun Chang decided to give him a show of force. She got up from her seat, peeled off her sister’s confused hand that was grabbing her sleeve, stuck her hands in her pockets and sauntered to Yuan Ye’s door: “Hey, what should I call you?”

The boy’s voice came from inside the room: “Yuan Ye.”

“Oh,” Chun Chang’s tone was lazy: “Thanks for the breakfast.”

Yuan Ye was organizing his backpack, only saying: “You’re welcome.”

Chun Chang asked again: “Have you eaten yet?”

Yuan Ye replied: “Not yet.”

Chun Chang was completely at ease, not at all like the “guest” but rather the host: “If you haven’t eaten, come out and eat together.”

Yuan Ye didn’t decline.

When the teenager, not yet wearing his school uniform jacket but only in an almond white hoodie, walked out looking fresh and clean, Chun Zao’s face reddened slightly. How did he manage to make all kinds of white look so fitting and attractive?

Chun Chang was somewhat of an elder, so the two juniors didn’t dare act up, only making eye contact as a morning greeting.

Chun Chang returned to her sister’s side, continuing to finish off the half-eaten egg burger, while chatting with Chun Zao: “Chun Zao, is your username still that something something little bird?”

“…” Chun Zao began her mask of pain, slowly parting her lips: “Yes…”

Chun Chang pursed her lips, looking thoughtful: “Mm, names with distinctive personal characteristics like that are still better. Unlike some new interns in our department who like using random pretentious letters—you can’t tell anything about their personality, don’t even know how to work with them.”

Chun Zao choked.

She kicked her sister’s feet several times under the table, but was nimbly dodged.

Looking up again, Yuan Ye was sitting across from them, watching the two with a half-smile. He understood her sister’s indirect criticism.

The boy remained unmoved, only lowering his head to sip some soy milk, not expressing any opinion on this.

But even being so low-key, he was still called out by Chun Zao’s sister: “Yuan Ye, what do you think?”

Yuan Ye was like a student suddenly enlightened in class, nodding: “Mm, makes sense.”

Chun Zao silently moved her cup to the center in front of her, using it as a miniature shield to block her full-body numbing embarrassment.

Chun Chang pressed her advantage: “Right? What username do you use? It’s not that kind, is it?”

Yuan Ye smiled very faintly, his tone calm: “Probably exactly the kind you don’t like. My mother’s surname is Xiang. After she and my dad divorced, I’ve been using the first letter of her name as my username, haven’t changed it since.”

Chun Chang & Chun Zao: “…”

We deserve to die.

After breakfast, the sisters stood by the desk in wordless mutual regard, each reflecting, until Chun Zao angrily punched her sister’s elbow once to end the silence.

“I’m going to school.” She pulled down the backpack hanging on the chair.

Chun Chang took out lipstick from her small bag, unscrewed it, then grabbed Chun Zao’s shoulder strap: “Wait a moment.”

Chun Zao looked up in confusion.

Chun Chang lifted her chin: “Call Yuan the handsome guy to walk together.” After saying this, she thrust the bullet-shaped lipstick straight over.

Chun Zao instinctively dodged away, but was controlled by her chin, forming pouting lips.

Chun Chang drew a stroke on each of her round, delicate upper and lower lips, then withdrew, tossing it into her bag: “Don’t wipe it, just press your lips together.”

Chun Zao glared at her inexplicably.

“Use beauty to make up for my rash behavior toward him.”

“You’re crazy.”

Though she said this disdainfully, she didn’t raise her hand to wipe it off, only asking: “Is it obvious?”

Chun Chang said, “This is a nude shade. Even Mao Geping couldn’t tell without me saying so, plus it makes your complexion soar.”

Chun Zao was skeptical, wanting to pick up the round mirror on the desk to confirm, but catching sight of the clock hands midway, she hurriedly put the mirror back and shouldered her backpack.

Hearing sounds outside, Chun Chang quickly ran to the door in three steps, made it into two, calling out to Yuan Ye: “Hey, wait a moment. My sister happens to be going to school too, you two can walk together.”

She patted Chun Zao’s backpack, pushing her out.

Yuan Ye stood still in the entryway.

Chun Zao ran around her sister and out. The second their gazes collided, the boy’s brow suddenly furrowed, but he said nothing.

Chun Zao followed him out the door and downstairs.

The sky was already white at the horizon, but the red sun hadn’t yet peeked out. Golden sycamore leaves were spinning on the cement ground. All-white sneakers stepped over a patch, and cheese-yellow athletic shoes also stepped over a patch, then walked side by side.

Chun Zao had to apologize for her sister’s offensive behavior, using the topic as an excuse: “This morning, I’m sorry. My sister’s personality is just a bit that—” hard to describe in one word.

Yuan Ye glanced at her, saying indifferently: “It’s nothing.”

“Good, that you don’t mind.” She murmured, confirming again: “Really nothing?”

Yuan Ye smiled slightly: “Really nothing. This is good.” Otherwise, how would he know she was still overthinking this matter?

Everything was understood without words. Chun Zao stopped making noise.

“However,” the boy beside her seemed a bit hesitant, “was your lipstick also applied by your sister?”

Chun Zao froze, raising her hand to cover her mouth: “What’s wrong?” What happened to the promised nude makeup?

“Does it look ugly?” she asked anxiously: “Is it too exaggerated?”

Yuan Ye examined her once more: “No, quite cute.” He smiled to himself.

His ambiguous reaction made her even more panicked. Chun Zao frantically took out a small pack of tissues from her backpack’s side pocket, wanting to wipe it off.

“Hey.” Yuan Ye wanted to stop her, but it wasn’t appropriate to presumptuously grab her arm or wrist. Seeing the girl already wiping vigorously with the tissue, he lowered his hand.

So be it.

If she didn’t wipe it, the teacher might notice, which wouldn’t benefit her.

Once she lowered her hand, his gaze could hardly break away from there anymore.

The girl’s natural lip color was light, but now, due to repeated external friction, her small, round lip shape showed an unusual deep red, like summer berries waiting to be picked, hanging plump on low branches, within reach.

Yuan Ye’s throat tightened slightly.

He quickly looked away, but had to remind her—some lipstick had been smeared outside her mouth by her anxious rubbing motions. He adjusted his breathing slightly: “That.”

“Mm?” Chun Zao looked at him.

Yuan Ye clenched his fist. Stating facts had become this difficult: “There’s still some outside your mouth.”

“Ah…” Chun Zao pulled out another tissue: “Which side?”

Yuan Ye quickly judged: “Left side.”

Chun Zao hurriedly pressed a corner of the tissue to the left side of her lips, wiping carefully.

Yuan Ye was stunned.

No, his brain was completely scrambled. Mirror principle—it should be the right side.

He quickly corrected: “My left side.”

His left side…

Was that her right side?

Both intelligent people became somewhat dazed at this moment. Chun Zao’s thinking was also slow, uncertainly moving the tissue slowly to the right.

Forget it. Yuan Ye took out his phone from his pants pocket, opened the front camera mode, raised his hand high, using it as a mirror for her.

Only then did Chun Zao truly see what she looked like.

Ah.

She almost screamed.

The area around her lips was a mess, as ugly as could be. She wanted to rush back and brutally hack her sister, but regret was too late now. She could only scrub hastily and awkwardly, over and over, doing useless work.

But the color that required eye and lip makeup remover wasn’t so easily removed from the skin. Finally, Yuan Ye said, “Wait for me.”

The boy turned off his phone and ran all the way to the small store at the community entrance. When he came out, he held a bottle of pure water.

He opened the cap and walked back to her, extending his hand: “Tissue.”

Chun Zao handed him the tissue with slight rose-colored traces remaining.

Yuan Ye leaned his upper body over, poured a little water on it, then looked back up.

“Let me do it.” He said, not giving himself or her too much time to react. His hand was already holding the wet corner of the tissue, covering her lips.

Chun Zao was startled by the cool sensation and instinctively backed away.

Yuan Ye paused, then followed without question. His fingers, separated by tissue, carefully and meticulously helped her clean up.

Chun Zao didn’t dare move at all, only her heart raced wildly and her facial temperature climbed rapidly.

Her gaze only dared to root itself on the parallel… boy’s minimally exposed neck area…

She didn’t dare look at his nearby hand or his earnest eyes that were mostly focused on her lips.

Initially, the pressure was quite gentle, but perhaps because that color was too difficult to handle, it gradually increased, pressing against her lip corners, stroke by stroke. Just that one point, that small-range burning, somehow spread into full-body roasting that was suffocating.

Unknown how long.

Perhaps less than a minute.

He finally lowered his hand: “Done.”

Finally able to breathe.

The surrounding air currents, human voices, bird songs, and rustling of leaves seemed to snap back into place in an instant.

Chun Zao’s legs were somewhat weak, dry, and exhausted, as if she’d just finished running a hundred meters.

Yuan Ye drank half the remaining water before screwing the cap back on. His gaze suddenly tightened as he looked at the time on his phone.

Chun Zao reacted: “Are we going to be late?”

“Run.”

He pushed Chun Zao forward.

With only three seconds left on the green light, the girl and boy dashed one after another across the piano key-like zebra crossing. In the morning wind, light suddenly broke through, and overhead was late autumn’s azure blue song.

Author’s Note:

The anime-style running scene arrives fashionably late.