Questions about the anime~

[tsuyuhime.livejournal.com]

I'm in the process of writing a few CG fics, and I need some help with the timeline.
At series start, what season was it? And at the time of the ZR, what season was it? >_>; I couldn't really tell since the students don't have different uniforms for summer/winter. I don't remember this ever being actually stated in the anime itself, so... if anyone have any guesses, it would be great.
Another thing. What are those knives/short blades that Xingke use called?

Thank you!

Comments

[megalomaniageek.livejournal.com]

On TV it's always Spring! (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Ptitleqlm0pv2xb236)
If you [...] can't even remember the last time any of these things [brown/red leaves, snow, summer vacation] occurred outside a seasonal episode, then that's because It's Always Spring.
Cartoon characters tend to have a Limited Wardrobe, which generally does not lend itself to cold weather. Furthermore, school is often a plot element in cartoons about kids, so that rules summer out of the question. Finally, it is probably easier to just put green leaves on every tree and to never draw leaves lying on the ground, so ultimately, the lack of seasonal change is a matter of convenience.

Everybody here has provided answers based on canon so here's the answer based on meta. :D