I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Lucien walked out next, quiet and composed, his hands tucked neatly behind his back. his eyes followed the others with faint interest like he was watching birds fly past a window.

Felix trailed beside him, yawning and rubbing one eye. "I hope they're serving something spicy. I feel cold today."

Rocky and Kelpie followed together, whispering softly to each other.

And little Sable trailing behind them quietly—his soft steps barely making a sound as he exited last.

Alina chuckled as the classroom slowly emptied and the sudden silence settled around her like a cozy blanket. She turned back to the board, picked up the cloth, and began gently erasing the chalk lines from their math lesson. A little smile tugged at her lips, calm and content.

Just as Alina wiped away the last bit of chalk from the board, a soft puff of cold air brushed past her cheek like a tiny winter wind sneaking through the room.

She didn't need to turn around. She already knew.

A small smile crept onto her face. "Boo…"

Right on cue, the little ghost floated into view, upside down as usual, spinning slowly through the air with his arms folded and eyes gleaming.

"It's time," he whispered dramatically.

Alina chuckled and set the cloth down. "Time for…?"

"Gossip hour," Boo replied with complete seriousness, flipping once before landing on top of her desk. "I have fresh tea, teacher. Steaming."

She turned toward him fully and leaned against the edge of her desk, already bracing herself. "Alright, Boo. Who's in the headlines today?"

Boo leaned forward, voice dropping into a hush. "So. First of all… the principal."

Alina blinked. "Again? Boo, you always start with him."

"He gives me the best material," Boo replied, eyes wide like he was telling her the secrets of the universe.

Then Boo leaned closer, his voice hushed and dramatic. "Boo saw him… talking to a mirror."

"A mirror?"

"Yes," Boo whispered. "Alone. In the hallway. He looked at it and said… 'You are still the most terrifying.' Then he nodded… and walked away."

Alina's eyebrows lifted. "Maybe he was checking his reflection?"

"No," Boo said firmly. "He was having a duel with it."

Alina blinked. "A duel."

Boo nodded seriously. "He nodded at the mirror… and the mirror nodded back. It was tense. Boo think the mirror is his evil twin."

Alina burst into laughter. "You think he's fighting with a mirror?"

"He bowed to it, Teacher. Bowed. Who bows to a mirror unless it's cursed?"

"You're unbelievable."

"I'm observant," Boo corrected, rising slowly into the air like a floating conspiracy theorist. "And also—I may or may not have waved at the mirror after he left. It winked."

"You're making this up."

"Am I?" Boo said ominously, slowly phasing through the chalkboard with a wiggle of his fingers.

Alina shook her head, chuckling. "That boy is going to get himself ghost-grounded one day."

But a smile appeared on her lips. Boo's stories were always ridiculous and wild—maybe a little true, maybe not true at all.

But somehow, her day always felt a little brighter after hearing them.

***

In the kids' dining room.

"Why you satttt with Kelpie and Rocky??????????" Drake shouted from across the table, his voice echoing like a wounded prince discovering betrayal. His spoon clattered dramatically on his tray.

Vlad Jr. didn't even react. He sat with his back straight, arms crossed, positioned neatly between Rocky and Kelpie—who were both staring down at their plates like the peas might explode.

Vlad Jr. frowned and raised his chin. "Drake," he said coolly, "you're sitting with Luna. You haven't noticed my presence since morning. So I sat with them."

Then he turned his head away with a quiet hmph, as if he didn't even want to see Drake right now.

Drake's mouth dropped open. "I was gonna notice you!" he whined. "But Luna dragged me to this side and now she's blocking me with her angry eyes!"

He turned slowly to look at Luna, who was sitting right beside him, chewing aggressively with a permanent scowl across her face. She narrowed her golden-brown eyes when she caught him looking.

"What?" she snapped, mouth full. "Eat your food. Stop acting like a lost puppy."

"I'm not a puppy!" Drake yelled, then slumped into his chair and pouted. "Arghhh!!!"

Beside him, Felix didn't even glance up. He was lazily scooping rice into his mouth like nothing in the world mattered less than vampire-dragon drama.

"Sit somewhere else next time," he mumbled.

"But I always sit with Vlad!!" Drake cried. "He knows how I arrange my nuggets!"

Across the room, Vlad folded his arms tighter. "Kelpie and Rocky are peaceful. They don't yell in my ear. I like that."

Rocky gave the tiniest nod. Kelpie just smiled awkwardly and poked his carrots.

Drake groaned again, head dropping to the table. "This is the worst lunch everrr…"

Luna grabbed one of his apple slices while he wasn't looking. "You talk too much," she said.

Felix sighed. "I miss when lunch was quiet."

And for the first time that day, Rocky whispered, "Can we switch seats tomorrow…?"

At the far end of the table, Boo rolled his eyes at the noise coming from Drake's side like he was watching a badly written soap opera.

Unlike the others, Boo's plate looked a little different. Instead of regular stew, rice and apples, he had a faintly glowing mooncake and a tiny cup of something pale blue and misty, staff said it was "spirit food," prepared specially for him. It didn't look warm, but it shimmered with soft coldness, like snow that could be eaten.

He sat beside Sable, who, as usual, was silent. The little shadow boy sat upright with his sleeves rolled carefully, eating one bite at a time like the food might vanish if he moved too quickly. His small hands were neat, his spoon delicate, and his eyes—wide and unreadable—kept flicking between his plate and the table like he didn't want anyone to watch him eat.

But Boo was watching.

He noticed the way Sable's spoon paused halfway every few seconds. How he chewed slowly, like he was still learning to trust the food wouldn't bite back.

And then—

Sable looked up. Just for a moment.

His big dark eyes met Boo's glowing ones, and he froze.

The spoon in his hand stopped moving. His fingers stiffened. Like he'd been caught doing something wrong—even though all he was doing was eating.

Boo blinked.

Sable blinked back.

Then Boo looked down at his own plate again and casually poked the mooncake with his spoon.

"Hmph," Boo mumbled, not looking back. "You eat like a noble ghost attending a banquet. It's weird."

Sable stayed frozen for another second… then quietly took another bite.

***

After lunch, the chaos inside the dining room slowly faded into the usual post-meal drowsiness. Plates were collected, chairs pushed back, and babies began wandering off in their own directions.

Among them, two quiet figures slipped out without a sound.

Kelpie and Rocky.

"Byy…" Rocky mumbled shyly as they reached the door, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Byy," Kelpie replied, offering a small, sweet smile that made his soft blue hair shimmer under the hallway light. It was the kind of goodbye where both of them didn't really know why they were saying it so formally… they were just going in different directions.

Rocky gave a tiny wave, then shuffled off toward his usual sun spot behind the garden wall.

Kelpie watched him for half a second, then turned and trotted off in the opposite direction—straight toward the garden's far corner.

The bucket was waiting.

It was Just a simple, worn metal bucket sitting near the hosepipe, half-filled with clean water.

But to Kelpie? It was paradise.

He looked around once—left, right, suspicious glance at the hedge—and then beamed. Without wasting a second, he turned the tap.

Water splashed into the bucket with a soft gurgle. The sound alone made him smile like it was his birthday.

He dipped his hand in slowly. Then both.

Then—with the quiet joy of a sea spirit returning to his kingdom—he plopped his whole face into it.

"Ahhh…" he sighed, cheeks puffing inside the cool water The water sloshed around his face as he wiggled with glee.

Meanwhile, not far away…

Rocky had found his spot.

He stood in the patch of golden sunlight behind the berry bushes, took a deep breath—

—and turned into a rock.

A small, slightly round, stone-bodied little boy now sat perfectly still in the sunlight like a garden ornament.

He was sunbathing.

Peacefully.

Majestically.

Rocky-mode.

Occasionally a breeze would pass, brushing leaves against him. Birds chirped nearby. A butterfly landed on his head and stayed for a full two seconds before flying off.

And yet—Rocky remained unmoving. Like this was the most important task in the world.

Which, for him, it was.

Back by the bucket, Kelpie dunked his head in and out like a giggling dolphin.

Splash. Puff. Wiggle.

His soaked hair stuck to his forehead, and his ears flapped slightly when water got into them.

Still—worth it.

This was his favorite time.