I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Sable nodded shyly. "You are cute…"

Boo gasped dramatically, placing both hands over his heart. "Teacher! This is the best essay ever written in the history of essays!"

Alina chuckled, glancing between them. "It's certainly one of the sweetest."

Boo floated a little higher, clearly glowing with pride. "Sable, from now on, I'll always share my snacks with you! Even the good ones I hide from everyone!"

Sable's eyes widened in delight, and he gave the tiniest smile, as if that promise meant more than anything in the world.

Alina felt her chest warm. Sometimes, she thought, these little ones really did know the purest kind of friendship.

Then she walked toward Drake's desk, and the sight alone almost made her laugh out loud. His cute chubby arms were resting on the tiny desk like it was a great battlefield, his little head bent low, and his tongue sticking out in fierce concentration as he scribbled on the page. His feet swung lazily under the chair, completely out of rhythm with the speed of his pencil.

Alina leaned down and peeked at his paper, reading the very first line in his large, slightly wobbly handwriting: My best friend name is Vlad Jr. He is vampire.

She bit her lip to stop a laugh. "That's very true, Drake. And what else?"

"Ummm…" Drake tapped his pencil on the desk, his little brows scrunching together. "Vlad Jr. is my best friend because we both shares snacks?" he said, peeking up at Alina with the biggest, most hopeful eyes.

From his seat, Vlad puffed out his chest. "I only share the good snacks, teacher. Not the boring ones."

Drake nodded seriously. "Yes! Best friends don't share boring snacks."

Alina chuckled. "Well, that's a very important friendship rule."

Then she went to see Luna's essay and crouched beside her desk, the faintest smile on her lips. At first glance, Luna looked perfectly normal—serious face, pencil in hand, eyes focused like she was crafting a masterpiece. But when Alina leaned closer and actually read the words, her lips twitched so hard she had to look away for a second.

My name is Luna! My best friend is Luna! Luna Daddy is best! Luna run! Luna is big girl!!

Alina blinked, then blinked again. "Sweetheart… is your best friend really… you?"

Luna nodded proudly. "Yes! I'm the best! And Daddy says Luna should love Luna first!" she announced, puffing her chest out like a tiny wolf queen.

Kelpie, who had been listening in from the next desk, whispered, "I think she just didn't want to write about anyone else…"

Luna whipped her head around, glaring. "No! It's because Luna is amazing!"

From the back, Boo floated up just enough to add in a dramatic sigh. "Teacher, if I write about myself, will I get extra marks too?"

Alina laughed, shaking her head. "No, Boo. Only Luna can get away with that."

Luna crossed her arms with a smug little "hmph," clearly pleased with herself, while the rest of the class looked like they were seriously considering making themselves their own best friends too.

And then she went to see Boo's essay. The moment he noticed her approaching, he squeaked and floated backwards like a little balloon trying to escape.

"Boo, come here," Alina called gently, holding back a smile.

He giggled, the sound light and mischievous, before finally drifting closer with his notebook clutched in his tiny hands. He stopped right in front of her, looking a little shy now, and slowly held it out.

Across the page, in wobbly letters that stretched and dipped in odd places, it read: Boooooooooo best friend. Beside the words, there was a stick figure with few hairs.

Below it, he had written in his own funny way: Boo best friend is teacher! Teacher name is Alina teacher! She is my best friend because I can share my Boo Gossip time with her! My friend is teacher.

Alina stared at the page, and for a moment her throat tightened. She could picture him, head bent and tongue sticking out in concentration, putting his whole little ghost heart into every crooked letter. Slowly, a warm smile spread across her face.

Her eyes softened, and though she tried to blink it away, that tiny shimmer of emotion wouldn't leave. "Oh, Boo…" she said softly, crouching down to his level. "That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever written for me."

Boo grinned so wide his cheeks puffed, clearly unaware that his innocent little essay had just melted her heart completely.

After checking Boo's essay, Alina moved along the rows, her skirts brushing lightly against the desks as she stopped beside Lucien. His paper was neat as always, his elegant handwriting making even the simplest sentences look beautiful. He had written about Felix with a quiet fondness: Felix is very friendly, and sometimes he lends me crayons when I forget mine.

And beside Lucien's desk, Felix's handwriting was nowhere near as neat, but his words carried the same warmth. He had written about Lucien being "super cool," "good at studying," and "never tells on me, even when I accidentally break something." The way both essays matched in their gentle honesty made Alina's heart swell just a little more.

Then she reached Vlad Jr., who was sitting very straight, as though awaiting judgment. His dark eyes shone with a hint of pride, and when she glanced at his notebook, her own eyes lit up in surprise.

In careful, flowing lines, he had written not an essay but a poem:

My best friend is Drake,

A dragon who never breaks.

He roars but he's kind,

With the sharpest mind.

We share secrets in the sun,

And laugh until the day is done.

Alina bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling too much. "Sweetheart… I asked for an essay, not a poem," she said, her tone a mix of amusement and mock sternness.

Vlad Jr. blinked, clearly unsure if he was in trouble, until she added warmly, "But this is wonderful. You write beautifully, Vlad. I can see you put a lot of heart into it."

The little vampire's chest puffed out ever so slightly, and he nodded with the dignity of a prince being acknowledged for his art.