I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Alina clasped her hands together. "Alright, let's hear your answers. Lucien, sweetheart, how many objects did you count?"

Lucien sat up straighter, his serious little face glowing with pride. "Nineteen," he said clearly.

Alina smiled warmly. "Very good, Lucien!"

Lucien's ears flushed pink, and he lowered his gaze, secretly pleased that teacher praised him in front of everyone.

"Alright… Drake?" Alina turned her gaze toward the dragon boy, who was still puffing smoke from his nostrils as if he had been working very hard.

Drake thumped his chest proudly. "I counted EIGHT! Eight objects!!"

Alina raised her brows. "Sweetheart, objects aren't people. You can't just count everyone's heads."

Drake's mouth dropped open. "WHAT?? But teacher, heads are objects! Look!!" He dramatically poked Boo's forehead with his finger. "See? Object!!"

Boo yelped, holding his head. "How dare you!! Boo's head is not an object, it's Boo's treasure!!" He floated dramatically to the corner, clutching himself like a tragic hero.

The class erupted in giggles.

"Drake…" Alina sighed, fighting her laughter. "You have to count desks, chairs, books—things like that. Not classmates."

Drake slumped down with a pout, wings drooping. "That's unfair! My count was perfect."

"Perfectly wrong," Vlad Jr. muttered from behind his handkerchief.

"ARGHHH!!" Drake growled, ready to argue again.

Alina quickly cut in before the dragon and vampire prince could start bickering. "Alright, next—Felix, what about you?"

Felix leaned back in his chair with a lazy smirk. "I counted zero. Because if I don't look at them, they don't exist."

Alina stared at him, lips twitching. "That's… not how math works, sweetheart."

"It works in my world," Felix replied coolly, and Lucien beside him buried his face in his hands.

Meanwhile, Kelpie raised his hand seriously. "…I counted eleven… but then I added the clouds outside too, so it's actually twenty-three."

Rocky nodded solemnly. "…And three pebbles."

Alina rubbed her temples, trying not to laugh as the answers got stranger and stranger.

Alina took a deep breath and looked at the floating ghost. "Alright, Boo. How many objects did you count?"

Boo puffed up proudly. "Teacher, Boo counted… one hundred and three!!"

Alina blinked. "One hundred and three??"

"Yes!!" Boo spun upside down dramatically. "I counted the desks, the chairs, the windows, the ceiling, the floor, my banana, Sable's orange, Rocky's three rocks, and also every single breath you took, teacher!!"

The class roared with laughter.

"Boo, breaths don't count as objects," Alina sighed, though her lips twitched.

"Of course they do!! You can see them in winter!!" Boo argued passionately, spinning in midair until he crashed straight into Luna.

"Get off me!!" Luna yelped, shoving him away. She puffed up, still in her human form but wearing her unmistakable wolfish scowl.

"Fine! Then you, Luna—how many did you count?" Alina asked.

"Twenty-four!" Luna shouted proudly.

Alina tilted her head. "Oh? That's not too far off. How did you get twenty-four?"

"Easy. I counted the desks, then added all the walls, then added ME because I'm the most important object!!" she said, puffing her cheeks smugly.

Drake fell over laughing. "LUNA COUNTED HERSELF AS AN OBJECT!!"

"I AM AN OBJECTIVE QUEEN!!" Luna howled, making everyone laugh harder.

Alina rubbed her temples. "Alright, alright. Vlad Jr.? How many did you count?"

The little vampire prince adjusted his collar with elegance. "I counted thirty-three. But I only counted the things that truly matter."

Alina blinked. "…Such as?"

"My desk. My chair. My handkerchief. And twenty more places where I could write poetry," he said with complete seriousness.

The class was silent for a second—then Boo shouted, "TEACHER HE'S CRAZY!!" and everyone dissolved into giggles again.

Alina smiled and turned to the last one. "Sable? What about you, sweetheart?"

Sable, still clutching his little orange plush, looked down at his notes shyly. "I counted twelve… but I might be wrong…" he whispered.

Alina crouched beside him, her voice softening. "That's very good, sweetheart. You did your best."

Sable's big eyes sparkled as he gave the tiniest smile, while Boo yelled from above, "WHAT?? Teacher didn't yell at him but yelled at me!! UNFAIR!!"

The classroom exploded in chaos again, and Alina thought to herself that maybe this had been the most exhausting math class of her life.

Finally, break time came, and Alina sighed in relief.

She began packing her bag, her throat feeling a little dry, so she pulled out her water bottle and took a long sip.

"Teaaacheeer~" Boo whispered in a creepy ghost voice right behind her ear.

Alina choked and coughed so hard she nearly dropped her bottle. "Boo!!" she shouted, glaring at him as the little ghost giggled, spinning upside down in delight. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, shaking her head.

"Teacher, you're looking pretty today," Boo declared with an unusually serious face, floating close enough to squish his round cheeks against the desk.

"Really??" Alina asked, half laughing, half embarrassed as she touched her cheeks. Kelpie's mother's skincare really was amazing—it reminded her she had to thank Kelpie's parents personally.

"Boooo never lies!" Boo sang, spinning in a little circle before tumbling upside down again, his giggles filling the room.

Alina chuckled, watching him. "Alright then, Gossip King… what's today's gossip?"

Boo straightened dramatically, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Ohhh, today's gossip is BIG! You would be surprised!"

Alina widened her eyes in mock suspense. "Really? That big?"

"Yes!!" Boo announced. He pointed a dramatic little hand to the ceiling for emphasis. "Because it's about… that teacher!"

"That teacher?" Alina repeated, frowning in confusion. "Which teacher?"

Boo slapped his own head, groaning loudly. "Oh nooo, teacher, don't tell me you forgot! The teacher with wings!!"

Alina blinked. "…Boo, which teacher has wings?"

Boo waved his arms like a wild chicken trying to fly. "Oh no, teacher!! His name… I forgot! But I know it starts with G… or B… and he flaps like this!"

She blinked once, then realization dawned. "Gabriel??" she asked, her eyes widening.

"CORRECT!!!" Boo cheered, spinning like a top.

"You… have gossip about Gabriel?" Alina asked, her voice caught between disbelief and curiosity.

Boo leaned forward, lowering his voice to a spooky whisper. "Yes… and it's juicy!"