I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Alina paused, then smiled. "That's a great question. Yes, we can! That's called measuring volume."

"But only when it's not running away," Boo added, flopping onto the rug. "Water always escapes. I tried to catch it once. Failed."

Alina chuckled and glanced at the clock. They had about ten minutes left.

"Okay, last activity. I want you all to look around the room and pick one thing you could measure. Length, height, width, or weight. Anything simple. And no, Felix, not someone's snack."

Felix looked disappointed. "But I already calculated who's hiding the biggest cookie stash."

"Let it go," Vlad jr. muttered. "Not everything is about food."

"Lies," Drake said dramatically, collapsing across his desk like he was made of noodles.

"Don't be lazy, sweetheart! Everyone, start measuring!" Alina said cheerfully, clapping her hands like a soft bell chime.

One by one, the babies got up from their chairs.

Some stretched like sleepy kittens, others grumbled like tiny old men dragged out of a nap. But soon, the room filled with the light shuffle of little shoes, dragging chairs, and whispered debates about what was "easiest to measure without doing too much."

Drake dramatically grabbed a chalk piece and walked with intense focus toward the corner bookshelf. "I'm going to measure this tower—because if I climb it and fall, you'll have to carry me like a dragon prince."

"No one is carrying you," Luna muttered without looking up, holding a book above her head as if checking its height against her own. "I'm measuring this book. It's thicker than my patience."

Felix, arms crossed, sauntered over to the globe on the shelf. "I will measure the world."

Vlad Jr. adjusted his collar with regal calm. "I am observing others to understand how they measure, before I decide whether it's worth doing myself."

Rocky gently placed his notebook on the floor, crouched beside it, and began comparing it to his own foot length, his tongue peeking slightly from the corner of his mouth in concentration.

Kelpie shyly held his pencil in front of his face. "If I stack five pencils, that's about one Luna tall."

"No one measures me without permission," Luna warned.

"Sorry," Kelpie squeaked.

Meanwhile, Boo had floated up behind Sable, who had been quietly tracing lines on the desk with a stick of chalk. Boo squinted at the top of Sable's head and then slowly brought his hand down to the floor.

"You're taller today," Boo said softly, floating around him with a squinting expression, both curious and serious.

Sable froze. His whole body stiffened like a statue, and his wide black eyes blinked once—then again—as Boo floated around him like a measuring tape with wings.

"You okay?" Boo whispered, still floating sideways like a sleepy cloud. "You're not shrinking, right?"

Sable just stood there, frozen in shock, letting Boo compare their heights without a single word. His fingers were curled tightly around his chalk piece, his expression somewhere between panicked and confused.

Alina had to press a hand to her mouth to hide her giggle. Poor Sable didn't know what to do with attention from a floating baby ghost.

After a moment, Boo floated down and gently patted Sable's arm. "You're my favorite height," he whispered like a secret.

Sable blinked… then shyly nodded.

"Alright, babies!" she said warmly. "One more minute, then we'll put away the chalk and line up for lunch."

"Yes!!" Drake shouted from across the room. "Finally!! Math made me hungry!"

"You were already hungry before class started," Luna said flatly.

"I grow every five minutes!" he argued.

"You're growing sideways."

"I take offense!" Drake squeaked, pouting dramatically.

Near the window, Lucien stood alone, a small ruler in his hand. He wasn't talking to the other babies, nor did he glance their way. Instead, he stayed quietly in his corner, measuring the length of the ruler's shadow as it stretched across the sunlit floor—slowly, thoughtfully, with precise little movements. As if he weren't doing math at all, but studying something delicate and poetic.

Alina glanced at him quietly and smiled.

Finally, after enough giggles, chalk marks, and crooked comparisons to fill an entire scroll, Alina gently clapped her hands again.

"Alright, little ones," she called out with a warm smile, "come back to your seats."

There was a soft shuffle as chairs scraped, shoes tapped, and the babies returned to their places—some more gracefully than others. Drake dramatically collapsed into his seat like he'd just run a mountain race. Boo floated upside down and slowly slid into his chair like melting butter. Sable returned quietly, clutching his chalk like it had become his treasure.

Alina waited until everyone had settled, then looked around the room with pride blooming in her chest.

"So… do you understand what measurement is now?"

A moment of silence.

Then Drake shot his hand up. "Yes! It means… seeing who's tallest, who has longest tail, and who eats fastest!"

"No, that's not it," Vlad Jr. corrected calmly. "Measurement is comparing size and weight using real units, not… snack speed."

"I liked both versions," Boo offered, raising his hand halfway.

Alina laughed. "Well, at least you all tried to understand, and that's what matters."

Kelpie nodded shyly. "I liked it. I want to measure the jellyfish next."

"You can, sweetheart," Alina smiled. "But for now, let's close our books and get ready for lunch."

A cheer rippled through the classroom.

And then—the bell rang!

The moment its familiar chime floated through the classroom, every little head perked up like puppies hearing the sound of a treat bag.

Break time.

And in the very next second, the class room exploded into motion.

As usual, Drake was the first to leap from his chair with wild excitement. "I'm first! I'm first!" he shouted, dashing toward the door with tiny stomps.

Luna bolted right after him, hair bouncing behind her as she yelled, "No you're not! I was already standing before you moved!"

"Nooo!" Drake yelled, pumping his arms harder like he was running a race for his life. "You cheated with your wolf speed!"

Luna snapped back, "It's not cheating if you're just slow!"

Alina didn't even try to stop them. She just sighed softly and smiled.

Behind them, Vlad Jr. stood up in calm silence and adjusted his little collar with two fingers, walking toward the door like royalty attending a very disappointing luncheon. "Honestly," he muttered under his breath, "why run when the food will still be there?"