I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Alina tried her best not to laugh. Her lips twitched as she glanced at Dante, who—amazingly—didn't seem bothered in the slightest.

Instead, he nodded once toward her and said in his calm, quiet voice, "Don't forget. My office. Your gift."

"I won't," she promised, still smiling.

He stepped away, walking down the hallway with silent footsteps. And as soon as he was out of view—

Shuffle.

Tap.

Rustle—

Thud thud thud thud!

Little footsteps dashed away from the door, followed by giggles and a soft bump as someone tripped over.

Alina chuckled under her breath and shook her head.

So much for hiding…

She smiled as she walked toward the classroom door, still thinking about the little spies outside earlier. Their wide eyes, squished heads, and peeking chaos had already put her in a good mood. But now… she was ready to play along.

With her hand on the door, she took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders like a proper serious teacher. Let the fun begin.

She opened the door.

And walked in.

The moment she stepped inside, the room went suspiciously quiet.

Too quiet.

Drake was sitting with his eyes wide open like he was trying to hypnotize her into forgetting everything. His fluffy golden-red hair looked extra brushed. He sat up straighter than usual, hands folded politely on his desk.

Vlad Jr. was the very picture of innocence—chin up, arms folded neatly, legs crossed, not a single trace of guilt on his elegant vampire face.

Luna sat beside him with a perfect scowl. Her little arms were crossed. Her eyebrows were furrowed.

She's pretending to be mad. That's her favorite act, Alina thought with a soft smile.

Kelpie looked absolutely delighted. His cheeks were glowing faintly blue.

Sable was in his usual spot, quietly seated and looking up at her with those cute big eyes, blinking as if he hadn't moved since yesterday.

And then there was Rocky.

The moment their eyes met, Rocky dropped his gaze so fast it was almost impressive. He shrank slightly behind his desk, his little hands fiddling with the hem of his tunic. Guilt Level: Maximum.

Alina stood at the front with a suspiciously tight-lipped smile and let her bag drop gently onto her chair.

"Good morning," she said sweetly, her voice calm… too calm.

"G-Good morning, teacher…" they all replied at once, voices soft and nervous like they were rehearsing for a court trial.

Alina clapped her hands once. "Alright then," she said, her smile widening in a very teacher way. "We'll begin with attendance. And after that… we'll have a little talk about why certain students didn't show up yesterday."

She didn't even have to fake a stern tone. Just one look at their faces—

Wide. Eyes. Everywhere.

Even Luna's scowl slipped for a moment.

Cutie pies.

She took attendance slowly, calling each name clearly, making sure they said "present" in their softest, most guilty voices.

Everyone was here today.

Of course they are, she thought, amused. No one wants to miss today after yesterday's drama.

Once she finished, she stood up from her chair, arms crossing gently, her gaze landing on Drake.

"Drake, sweetheart," she said, voice calm and smooth, "why didn't you come to school yesterday?"

Boo immediately puffed up, floating in circles with crossed arms. "Yes, why? You didn't tell me either!" he huffed, spinning dramatically around Drake's desk like a haunted balloon.

"Go away, Boo! You're making me dizzy!" Drake snapped, holding his head and leaning back.

"You're a dragon," Boo said with a dramatic roll of his eyes. "You can fly in circles all day."

"I'm different," Drake grumbled, frowning.

Alina held back a chuckle. "Alright, enough," she said, her voice gentle but firm. "Drake… tell me."

Drake immediately switched to his innocent face, eyes wide and teary as he placed a dramatic hand on his stomach.

"Teacher… my tummy hurt yesterday," he said pitifully. "And… and I think… some of my scales were falling off…"

"Oh no," Alina said, raising an eyebrow, playing along. "Where did it hurt exactly?"

"Right… here." He pointed to his stomach, then moved his finger a bit, then back again, clearly unsure.

Boo squinted at him. "You're lying."

"I'm not!" Drake puffed up his cheeks. "It really hurt!"

Alina nodded her head gently, the corners of her lips lifting ever so slightly. Across from her, Drake let out a soft breath he'd been secretly holding in, his shoulders dropping just a bit as if someone had lifted a tiny weight off them.

Alina's eyes softly shifted to her next little suspect.

She looked at Luna with a patient smile. "Luna, sweetheart… why didn't you come to school yesterday?"

Luna, who had been maintaining her scowl all morning, paused.

Her eyes flicked briefly to Drake.

Luna slowly turned her head back toward Alina, her little nose slightly scrunched, eyes focused, and lips pressed together, her expression like she was about to say something extremely serious.

Then, finally, she sat up straighter and declared, "I-I stayed with my daddy. He said… he needed me. Because he was healing."

Kelpie, sitting two seats over, blinked in confusion and tilted his head. His hair dripped a little.

"Oh, you're so sweet, Luna," Alina said with a gentle smile, folding her arms. "What did you do to help him?"

"I sat with him in his big meeting," Luna said proudly, lifting her chin. "I massaged his shoulder with my paws. He said I did a good job."

Alina raised her brows slightly, clearly impressed. "That sounds very helpful."

Luna nodded once, very seriously. "He didn't growl the whole meeting. Only once."

Alina chuckled softly, then turned to her next student.

Her gaze landed on Kelpie.

Immediately, he stiffened like a statue.

His big blue eyes widened, and his hands started dripping water onto the desk. A tiny puddle formed on the floor beneath him.

When he realized Alina was still looking at him, he began to shake slightly.

"I-I-I didn't come…" he started, his voice barely more than a whisper.

He quickly glanced at Luna.

She gave him a look. That scary, silent, Alpha-female look with her little wolf scowl that said: Don't you dare.