I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Dante listened without interrupting, the faintest sign of approval in the way his eyes lingered on her.

"And," she added, "I think it's also time Class D had a proper syllabus. The old one was incomplete. If they had their own books—not heavy, serious ones, but light and colourful ones they'd actually enjoy—they could follow lessons better and feel more connected."

He considered her words. His own early education had been nothing like this—strict academy halls where strength and skill were everything, where the weak fell behind and the gifted rose quickly. No gentle lessons. No songs. No bright picture books.

"I will see to it," he said finally, his tone decisive. "If something needs improvement, tell me directly."

"Thank you, sir." She gave a genuine smile before turning to leave.

Dante watched her go, his mind still on the comfortable ease of his clothes, and the quiet satisfaction of knowing someone was working to make this place better. Yes… she was diligent, thoughtful. She deserved a bonus.

However, when his gaze wandered to the corner, he noticed the small pile of gifts. He remembered then that he had forgotten to give them to her yesterday. Opening his laptop, he quickly sent her an email, a faint smile on his lips as he typed: Don't forget to take your gifts.

****

Class D

When Alina stepped into Class D, the chorus of "Good morning, Teacher!" rang out as usual. She returned their greetings with a warm smile, but something immediately caught her attention—Drake, the usually confident little dragon, was sitting unusually straight in his seat, his golden-amber eyes darting around guiltily like he'd been caught stealing cookies before breakfast.

She narrowed her eyes slightly. Hmm… suspicious.

"Good morning, everyone," she sang out, walking toward her desk—only to stop mid-step.

"...Where's my chair?"

The children froze. Every single head in the room turned… toward Drake.

"...What?" Alina's gaze followed theirs until it landed on him.

Before she could ask, a small whisper drifted right behind her ear, "Teacher~"

Alina nearly jumped out of her skin. "Boo!!" She turned sharply to find the little ghost boy hovering at her shoulder, his expression solemn. "How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?" she scolded, pressing a hand to her chest. "One day you're going to give me a heart attack!"

Boo sniffled, eyes shiny. "Teacher…"

The change in his tone made her pause. "What's wrong? Why do you look like you're about to cry?" Her heartbeat picked up.

Across the room, Drake frantically waved his arms at Boo, shaking his head with the urgency of someone trying to stop a dam from breaking. His eyes screamed, Don't you dare!

Boo ignored him completely and looked up at her with trembling lips. "Teacher… your chair… is no more…"

Alina let out a small sigh of relief. "Oh, is that all? Don't worry, I can—wait… what do you mean, no more?"

Boo's bottom lip wobbled as he blurted out, "We were playing together… and… and Drake breathed fire… and now your chair is… ashes…"

Her mouth fell open. "…Ashes?"

At that, Drake's composure shattered and he burst into loud, dramatic sobs. "I didn't mean to! I was just—hic—trying to show Boo my flame! I didn't know it would… poof!"

Vlad Jr., ever the sensitive little vampire, immediately covered his eyes with his embroidered handkerchief. "This is too tragic…" he mumbled, voice wobbling.

Then Luna, who was currently in her wolf pup form, threw back her head and let out a long, mournful howl as if the destruction of a chair was the end of the world.

Sable gasped and started crying too, his tears big and round. "Where will Teacher sit now?"

Kelpie, his fin-like ears drooping, joined in, and even Rocky, who usually turned into a rock when overwhelmed, was sniffling in his seat.

Alina stood there, utterly bewildered as she turned to see Felix and Lucien staring at her with wide, glassy eyes. They looked like they were about to cry in solidarity.

What on earth is happening right now? she thought, fighting the urge to laugh.

Suddenly, Sable stood up, clutching the back of his small chair with both hands. "Teacher, you can have my chair," he said softly, pushing it toward her desk.

Her heart melted. "Oh, Sable, that's very sweet of you—"

"And you can have mine too!" Boo piped up earnestly. "I don't even use it! I just float!"

Before Alina could thank them, Drake, still hiccuping between sobs, stood and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Teacher, I'll… I'll find you the bestest chair ever! I'll go to the forest and… and…" He trailed off, realising he had no idea where to actually get a chair.

Lucien finally spoke, his voice calm but determined. "Teacher, I'll… um… ask my dad to bring you a new one. A big one. With… maybe cushions."

Alina knelt down, patting the air with both hands like she was trying to settle a room full of bouncing kittens. "Alright, alright, everyone calm down. It's just a chair—"

Before she could finish, Luna threw her little wolf head back and let out another long, dramatic howl, the kind that could make someone think the moon had just exploded.

Alina's lips twitched. "Luna, sweetheart, please turn human."

The wolf shimmered, and in her place appeared a small girl with wild grey hair and golden-brown eyes, still looking far too fierce for her size. She crossed her arms. "I'm not howling because I'm sad. I'm howling because Drake is dangerous."

Drake's jaw dropped. "I'm not dangerous! I was just showing Boo my fire—"

"You destroyed Teacher's chair," Luna accused, pointing like she was a tiny prosecutor.

"I didn't mean to!" Drake yelped, wings twitching in distress. "I was aiming at the air! The chair… jumped in the way."

"It did not jump," Boo said seriously, floating closer to Alina. "I saw everything."

Alina sighed, running a hand over her face. "Alright, enough of this trial, please." She looked around at their teary little faces. "Everyone, listen to me. Teacher isn't angry or sad about the chair, okay?"

There was a collective pause. "You're… not?" Felix asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Nope," she said with a reassuring smile. "We can get a new one."

The mood in the room instantly shifted like magic, every face brightened.

"Ohhh!" Sable exclaimed in relief, quickly dragging his tiny chair back to his desk. "Then you don't need mine!"

Alina's lips twitched again. "Thank you for the offer, Sable…" she murmured.