I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Sable, however, lit up like sunshine. "Drake!!" he squeaked happily. His smile was so wide that his cheeks nearly swallowed his eyes. He always wanted more friends, but somehow he ended up on the side, quiet and overlooked. To have both Vlad Jr. and Drake now… his little heart fluttered with joy.

"Let's play together!!" Sable said brightly, his voice cracking with excitement as he bounced on his feet.

Drake's pout instantly dissolved, replaced by that irresistible grin of his. "Yesss! Let's play all three together!" His amber eyes sparkled with eagerness as he stretched his chubby hands toward the ball.

But Vlad Jr.'s crimson eyes narrowed dangerously. He pulled the ball back, clutching it against his chest like a treasure. "We were playing first," he said coldly, tilting his chin up.

Drake blinked at him, confused. "So? Now we play together! That's more fun!" He grabbed at the ball, his chubby fingers grazing it.

"Wait, wait—" Sable squeaked, caught in the middle. His eyes darted between them, his small body trembling. Please don't fight, he thought desperately. He had dreamed of having friends, not losing them before the game even started.

Vlad Jr.'s lips curved into a sharp smile. "If we let you join, you'll just ruin the game. You don't even play properly."

Drake gasped. "What!! Dadd always says I play properly!! You're just jealous because my fireball is cooler than your boring poems!"

Sable's eyes went wide as saucers, his little hands trembling. 'N-no! Don't fight! Sable wants many friends, not angry friends!' he thought. His eyes looked misty, and his lips wobbled as he pleaded, "Please… can we play together? Please??"

The sincerity in Sable's tiny face made even Vlad Jr. pause. His chest tightened just a little, though his pride wouldn't let him show it. He scoffed and looked away, muttering, "Fine. But if you mess it up, don't cry."

Drake's grin came back instantly, as if nothing had happened. "Yesss!!" he cheered, bouncing on his feet. He grabbed Sable's free hand with one of his own and tugged him into the grass. "Come on!! Throw it!!"

Meanwhile, at the edge of the playground, Felix had already shifted into his small fox form, his pure white fur spread out across the soft grass like a warm blanket. He lay stretched on his side, his fluffy tails twitching lazily as he soaked in the sunlight. His red eyes were half-closed in bliss, the little fox practically purring with every sigh.

Lucien had quietly settled beside him, leaning against Felix's warm fur as though it were the most natural thing in the world. His dark hair fell over his forehead, and his small fingers absentmindedly traced patterns into Felix's coat. "It's soft… very soft," Lucien muttered under his breath.

Felix twitched his ear, pretending he hadn't heard, though the corner of his mouth lifted in a fox-like smile. His chest swelled a little in pride at being chosen as a pillow.

Not far from them, Kelpie was pushing a huge round boulder, giggling uncontrollably as he struggled to roll it across the grass. The boulder wasn't just a rock, of course—it was Rocky himself, who had chosen to stay in his stone form because it felt good under the warm sun.

Every time the sun baked him too hot, Kelpie splashed his wet hands across Rocky's surface, sending little streams of water sliding down the stone. "There, there, Rocky! Cool bath for you! You're like my pet rock!" Kelpie laughed, delighted with himself.

The boulder gave a small shudder, a muffled voice grumbling from inside. "Not… pet…"

But Kelpie only giggled more, rubbing his wet palms again. "Shhh, pet rock doesn't talk! Stay quiet, or teacher will scold me!"

Rocky rumbled indignantly, vibrating on the spot, which made Kelpie squeal and fall onto his back, kicking his feet in the air with laughter.

*****

After classes ended, when Drake reached home he didn't even greet his mother properly—he stormed straight past her, stomped into his room, and slammed the door shut with a dramatic thud. Then, with an exaggerated "Hmph!!" he dropped to the floor, wriggled under his bed.

Underneath was his secret treasure hoard. The dim space sparkled faintly, lit by dozens of shiny things he had collected over time—different kinds of pearls, colorful glass beads, shiny coins he'd "borrowed," and even a few glittering hairpins that had somehow made their way into his pile.

Drake sat cross-legged among his hoard, puffing out his cheeks as he picked up each treasure. "This pearl?? Hmmm… too round… Lucien will think I didn't try hard enough," he muttered, tossing it back into the pile.

He picked up a red bead and turned it between his claws. "Pretty… but Lucien's eyes already red… he might think Drake has no creativity."

Then he held up a shiny hairpin and stared at it, tilting his head. "Hmmm… very sparkly… but if I give this, Teacher will scold me! She'll say, 'Drake! Where did you steal this from?!'" He puffed up his cheeks and imitated Alina's voice with exaggerated seriousness, then hugged the pin to his chest with a stubborn little nod. He had found it near Teacher's desk, and now it was his.

Finally, Drake flopped down on his belly, chin resting on his little hands. All around him, his treasure glimmered like tiny stars. "Ahhhh, it's too hard!! What if Lucien doesn't like dragon treasures? What if he thinks Drake is silly??"

He rolled onto his back, holding a pearl above his head, and muttered dramatically, "This is hardest math problem ever… choosing gift is impossible!!"

Then, as the pearl slipped from his hand and bounced on his belly, he giggled despite himself. "Hehehe… but Lucien will still smile, right? Dragons always know best gift is shiny!"

Drake hugged the pearl to his chest and kicked his feet happily, already imagining Lucien's surprised face.

"DRAKE!!!"

The sharp voice of his mother thundered through the room, and Drake's eyes went wide as saucers. In panic, he stuffed the pearl back into his pile, scrambled, and wiggled out from under the bed like a guilty worm. His scales were glittering with dust and sparkles from his secret hoard.

"M-mom!!" he laughed nervously, spreading his chubby little wings. "Hehehe… I wasn't doing anything suspicious! Nope, nothing at all!"