After finishing his discussion with Kosaka Akane, the autumn break passed in the blink of an eye, and before anyone realized it, the end of November had arrived.
It was now late autumn, on the verge of winter.
The cold wind howled relentlessly, and the weather grew increasingly chilly. The few cherry trees standing in the corner of the apartment complex had nearly shed all their leaves, leaving only bare branches with a handful of withered leaves clinging to them.
"Brr, it's so cold!"
The gust of frigid wind that greeted him when he opened the door made Sato shiver all over.
He glanced at Kanna by his feet and found that despite being bundled up in thick layers by him, the little girl remained completely expressionless, not even frowning.
"Kanna, aren't you cold?"
The blue-eyed young dragon shook her head.
"Not cold."
Despite her small size, she was still a dragon. Dragons were naturally tough and hardy.
"That must be nice..."
Sato looked at Kanna enviously before raising his eyes toward the distant sky.
A thick blanket of gray clouds covered the heavens. The cloud layer hung so low it seemed ready to descend upon the city itself, creating a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere. No matter how fiercely the wind blew, the clouds remained unmoved.
Come to think of it, since December had begun, he hadn't seen sunlight in quite some time.
Turning to the right, he glanced at the neighboring apartment.
The door was tightly shut.
Gabriel was probably still sealed inside her blanket.
"Forget it, let's go."
Standing in the corridor, Sato looked downstairs.
Nishimiya Shouko and Doma Umaru were already waiting there.
The two girls were bundled up heavily on top and even wore scarves, but below they still had their usual combination of short skirts and stockings, shivering as they stamped their feet against the cold.
When Umaru spotted Sato leaning over the railing, she immediately waved.
"Nohara, hurry up and come down!"
After Sato brought Kanna downstairs, he couldn't help laughing when he saw the two girls trembling from the cold.
"Why are you still wearing short skirts? I'll admit your legs look great, but with all those thick layers on top and a short skirt underneath, it just looks weird no matter how you look at it."
"Nohara-kun, is this sexual harassment?"
Umaru shot him a resentful look.
If you know we're freezing, then stop making sarcastic comments.
"I'm complimenting you, okay?"
Sato replied with complete sincerity.
He was telling the truth.
For various reasons, many Japanese girls had somewhat unusual leg shapes, such as bowlegs and similar issues.
But both Nishimiya Shouko and Doma Umaru had particularly elegant legs. From their calves to their thighs, the curves and proportions were pleasing to the eye, giving off a balanced and harmonious impression.
"Looks belong to everyone, but your health belongs to you. You should dress warmer in the future."
In the end, Sato still offered the advice out of kindness.
While it certainly looked nice, the long-term consequences weren't insignificant.
"When you're young, you'll only feel a little cold. But when you're older, all sorts of problems will start showing up. I don't want to be pushing either of you around in wheelchairs during winter so you can get some sunlight."
"Huh?!"
The two girls were startled.
After calming down, Umaru couldn't help punching his shoulder lightly with her little fist and rolling her eyes.
"Don't say things like that. That is absolutely, absolutely never going to happen!"
"Mhm!"
Nishimiya Shouko pursed her lips and nodded nervously as well.
A smile curled at the corner of Sato's mouth.
His words were like the whispers of a devil, constantly echoing in the girls' ears.
The harder they tried to forget them, the more vividly they remembered them.
Suddenly, the two girls exchanged a glance.
The more they thought about it, the more annoyed they became.
After a brief silent exchange, they reached an agreement.
Grinding their teeth, they simultaneously raised their fists and punched Sato in the chest.
"Damn it!"
This guy was clearly here to ruin people's moods!
"Hahaha!"
...
The strongest impression winter gave was one of desolation.
With all living things withering away, the sky became gray and lifeless. Beneath the thick clouds stretched an endless cityscape, and the solemn atmosphere of the steel jungle became even more pronounced.
Yet within the school grounds, there was still one splash of color.
Sato gazed thoughtfully at the small sections of bare thigh visible beneath the short skirts.
Amid winter's bleakness, that hint of skin seemed especially vibrant.
Could it be that the purpose of wearing short skirts in winter was to decorate the season itself?
"Sato?"
Nishimiya Shouko tilted her head curiously as she looked at him after he suddenly stopped walking.
Now that she could speak, Shouko's voice was very pleasant.
It was clear and pure, like a gently flowing stream.
"Let's go."
Sato withdrew his gaze and sighed.
After arriving at the school building, he opened his shoe locker.
As expected, several pink envelopes had appeared inside once again.
Although quite a bit of time had passed, his popularity seemed as high as ever.
Almost every week, he could find several pink letters in his locker.
Shoe lockers really were the ideal place for love letters.
He skillfully placed the envelopes into his school bag, changed his shoes, and headed for the classroom.
"Good morning, Sato! Shouko!"
"Good morning!"
Isshiki Iroha greeted him as naturally as ever.
The familiar mischievous smile remained on her face, and she didn't seem troubled by what had happened previously.
Sato still had no idea what the girl was thinking, but maintaining their usual relationship was naturally a good thing.
After returning her greeting, however, he subconsciously glanced at her legs and raised an eyebrow.
Were people really not afraid of the cold?
"Huh? Nohara, where are you looking, you pervert!"
Isshiki Iroha instantly noticed his little glance.
Immediately crossing her arms over her chest, she took two steps back and looked at him warily, as though guarding against a suspicious creep.
Sato curled his lip dismissively and walked past her toward his seat.
"What's there to protect when they're that small? Besides, I was looking at your legs, not your chest."
Isshiki Iroha froze for a moment.
Then a blush of embarrassment and indignation spread across her face as she glared at Sato's back.
How could this guy say something so rude?!
So what if they're small?!
Did having small boobs eat your family's rice?!
As she stared at his back, Iroha raged helplessly in her heart.
But after the anger faded, all that remained was a sense of grievance on her face.
What could she do about it?
It wasn't like it was something she could control.