In the blink of an eye, November arrived.
Dead leaves carpeted Konoha's streets, and the morning wind already carried a bitter chill against the skin.
At this time in previous years, Qingyu would have bundled himself up from head to toe, but this year he wore only a thin, long-sleeved shirt.
He had noticed that since his Senju bloodline Purity had increased, his body had become much more resistant to the cold.
In the same weather last year, he'd already been rubbing his hands together for warmth. This year, he only felt a little chilly.
"Qingyu, aren't you cold?"
Shizune walked beside him with a thick scarf wrapped around her neck and her hands tucked into her sleeves. She was bundled up like a little dumpling.
Looking at Qingyu's thin clothes, she couldn't help feeling envious.
"I'm fine. I'm not very sensitive to the cold."
Just as Qingyu finished speaking, Rin Nohara turned onto the road from another direction, rubbing her hands together as she hurried over.
She wore a thick padded coat, and her scarf was wrapped up to her chin, leaving only her bright eyes and the tip of her nose, pink from the cold, exposed.
"Qingyu, you're really amazing. You're not cold at all, even wearing so little."
Rin breathed out a puff of white vapor, glanced at Qingyu's thin shirt, then looked down at her own coat, which made her look like a ball.
"Unlike me. I freeze every winter."
Seeing the adorable way her nose had turned red from the cold, Qingyu reached out and gently patted her head.
"Maybe it's just a matter of constitution."
His hand was warm.
Rin felt as if his palm were a little heater, and she instinctively leaned into it.
But soon, Rin realized she was acting like a