[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-solflare-the-painter-s-secret":3,"chapter-solflare-the-painter-s-secret-solflare-the-painter-s-secret-chapter-44":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Solflare: The Painter's Secret",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1322872,1757,"Chapter 44: This Is Our Room","solflare-the-painter-s-secret-chapter-44",44,"\u003Cp>Stopping by the side of the bed, Leon spun around, his eyes sweeping the room for the black hoodie he discarded that evening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that same moment, the bathroom door clicked open. A cloud of steam billowed out, carrying the same sharp floral scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thudding sound erupted as two soft feet slammed on the pink mat at the front of the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A low hum erupted as a lady wrapped in a standard-issue white towel appeared. The low hum intensified in a tuneless note while she patted her neck with a corner of the towel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hum died the moment she looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saliva snaked down Leon’s throat when he saw the half-smiling and half-still expression of Zoe Qing in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steam from the bathroom formed a fragrant veil that hung in the air between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon stood frozen, but his eyes remained in a loop of blinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steam from the bathroom hung in the air between them like a fragrant veil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single droplet of water traced a path from Zoe’s damp hair, down the slope of her neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It disappeared into the shadowed valley between her breasts, which were partially exposed where the towel’s fold had loosened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon’s reflexive gaze flicked downward for a split second before he wrenched it away, fixing it on a point on the wall just past her shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I thought you would never wake up,\" Zoe said, her voice echoing in a conversational tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Laughter burst out of her when she watched Leon’s frantic movement, whenever his gaze fell on her and moved away from her as if she was a curse to look at.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her right arm carried the corner of the towel as she resumed patting her neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Or,\" her eyes widened. \"Were you awake this entire time?!\" Her voice tensed while her mouth remained open, as if she had forgotten how to close it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you see me undress?\" She squinted mid-frown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon tilted his gaze slightly toward her and shook his head. \"Naa... I just woke up,\" he clarified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, the confused and shy expression that had appeared on Zoe’s face hovered for a while, then vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft thudding sound erupted as she moved closer to Leon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The room number...\" Leon paused when he saw how frantic the load on Zoe’s chest dangled sideways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You think you’re lost?\" Zoe said and tapped on Leon’s left shoulder as she moved past him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is our room.\" A wide smile shimmered on her face for a while, then tensed into a grim grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"OUR ROOM?!\" Leon’s voice boomed, letting the curtains on the windows flail sideways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zoe stared at him with a silent stare, then clicked her tongue. \"OOOoh yeah.\" A soft voice echoed, calming the loud one that had shaken the curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She yawned slightly, then stretched herself. There, the towel shifted downward a bit, letting the center of her back show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instinctively, Leon turned to face the window’s direction and brushed his hands over his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What on earth is this?\" he whispered, but heard a giggling smile echoing from behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the academy’s directive. Synergy pairing,\" Zoe said, pausing her giggling. \"I requested you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon’s face reddened with a mixture of confusion and anger. His heart heaved heavily, as if he wanted to fight with the moving wind that kept raising the curtain his gaze was fixed on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His head snapped back quickly. \"You... what? Why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although seriousness was etched heavily in his voice and on his face, the reaction he received vaporized it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zoe’s lips curved into a slight, unreadable smile. \"You’re a variable item, Leon Storm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Variable item? WTF does she take me for? An ITEM?’ Thunderous thoughts reeled in his head as he stared at the smiling face of the lady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"First, you saved me from the wolves at the Shattered Land,\" Zoe said, raising her index finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Although you lost a valuable item at the monstrous cave, you showed great power even after the creature nearly killed you.\" Her middle finger followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Last but not least,\" Zoe paused and screamed, \"Why didn’t you tell me the towel is not covering my breasts?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned in a fast movement, pulled the towel upward, and dashed to the table where the cosmetics were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I should have taken the advice they gave me before I concluded on choosing you,\" she whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From behind her, a silent smile, still mixed with confusion, tore at Leon’s lips as he stared at the frantic movement the lady’s body tingled with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After two minutes, Zoe tilted her head, her damp hair swaying sideways. \"Don’t be mad, I prefer to keep interesting items close.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giggling sound erupted from her once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Leon could process the anger building in him after hearing himself being referred to as an item, a firm, rapid knocking echoed from the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knock. Knock. Knock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the confusion taking form on his face, Leon lunged for the door and yanked it open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The confused expression vanished when his eyes caught sight of the only person he knew could answer his questions regarding the synergy pairing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the hallway, Mr. Lee stood firm, his face etched with its unusual grave concern, but his eyes held a flicker of relief upon seeing Leon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Leon. Good,\" Mr. Lee said and stepped inside without waiting for an invitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stopping by the side of the bed, his gaze briefly acknowledged Zoe with a curt nod after her head popped out from the curtain she stood behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Mr. Lee’s attention returned to Leon, he pulled a sleek, black datapad from inside his jacket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your reinstatement is conditional.\" He thrust the pad into Leon’s hands. \"These are your preliminary clearance tasks.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Preliminary clearance tasks?’ Leon’s face tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A smile tore at Mr. Lee’s face as he saw the sudden change in the boy’s expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The tasks must be completed immediately, before you can be permitted back into the tournament arena,\" he said, and turned his head slightly to the moving curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An electric wave shoved through the datapad and into Leon’s palms as he placed his left palm at the back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From two meters away from them, Zoe dashed forward and grabbed the datapad mid-fall after Leon’s hand leapt from it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Leon, why?\" Zoe’s face tensed as she handed the datapad back to Leon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft breeze gushed and moved between them the moment Mr. Lee exhaled sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The system is synced to your biometrics. Don’t lose the datapad.\" He paused as his eyes blinked unintentionally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do not underestimate the tasks. They are designed to filter out the weakened. Complete them, then report to the Proctor’s Office at 1500 hours precisely. Do not be late.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a final, weighted look that seemed to carry an unspoken warning, Mr. Lee turned and exited. The door sighed shut behind him like a blast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft giggle from Zoe drew Leon’s attention back into the room and to the dark screen of the datapad, now held tightly in his left palm.\u003C\u002Fp>",1174,"2026-06-05T19:15:29.303Z",1,"novelbin.me","bea602c094454eaca360e13d3cc887bfc91a24afab036d5ed64d51b0fdc53850","solflare-the-painter-s-secret-chapter-45","solflare-the-painter-s-secret-chapter-43",272,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsolflare-the-painter-s-secret-cover.jpg"]