I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!-Chapter 396 Exam (11)

Alina glanced around the classroom as the last minutes slipped away, watching the small heads bent over their papers, tiny brows furrowed in concentration. When the hour finally passed, she clapped her hands softly to get their attention and walked between the desks, collecting the papers one by one. She arranged them neatly, tapping the edges together out of habit.

The moment she turned back toward the class, a loud sigh echoed through the room.

Drake slumped forward dramatically and lightly banged his forehead on the desk with a dull thump, as if the exam had personally betrayed him.

"Drake!" Alina rushed over, her voice firm but gentle as she placed her hand over his head to stop him. "Don’t do that. You’ll hurt your head."

Drake slowly lifted his face, cheeks puffed out in a deep pout, his eyes watery with exaggerated misery. "Teacher... my brain is tired," he complained pitifully. "It feels like a fire dragon fought inside it."

Alina couldn’t help but smile as she crouched beside him. "Your brain worked very hard today. That means it did a good job."

Drake sniffed, rubbing his head anyway. "But what if my answers ran away?"

"They didn’t," she said softly, patting his hair. "I collected them safely. No answers escaped."

That seemed to comfort him a little. He straightened up, still pouting but no longer attacking the desk. Around them, a few babies giggled quietly, the tension of the exam finally melting away, and Alina’s heart softened as she looked at them all, tired, dramatic, adorable, and very proud of themselves.

"Teacher," Vlad Jr. raised his hand properly, posture straight as always, his voice calm but expectant. "Tomorrow is the art exam. What should we expect?"

She laughed softly at his seriousness and walked a little closer to his desk. "Don’t worry, sweetheart. I already told you before," she said gently. "I will explain everything on the spot. No one has to read anything tonight. Tomorrow is just about enjoying yourselves and having a peaceful mind."

A visible wave of relief passed through the class. Shoulders dropped. Heads nodded. Even Sable, who had been biting his finger earlier, relaxed a little.

"Teacher," Felix asked next, eyes bright with hope, "we will get holiday after exams, right?"

That single word—holiday—hit the classroom like magic.

"Holiday?" Luna’s ears perked up instantly. Her eyes widened as if she had just remembered something very important. "Oh! I almost forgot about it!" she exclaimed, tail swishing excitedly.

Rocky’s eyes sparkled so brightly it looked like someone had polished them. He clasped his hands together, barely able to sit still. "My mom told me yesterday," he said proudly. "She said after exam she will take me on a mountain trip." He paused, then added with extra emphasis, "Real mountains."

Felix leaned back in his chair with a dramatic sigh. "My mom is also very excited," he said, shaking his head. "She said she has a surprise planned for me." He frowned slightly. "But who knows what kind of surprise? I hope it’s not a prank." His voice dropped suspiciously. "She does pranks."

Lucien, who had been quiet until now, tilted his head and looked at Felix with genuine curiosity. "Your mom does pranks?" he asked softly.

Felix nodded again. "Yes. Sometimes."

Lucien fell silent for a moment, absorbing that information carefully. He didn’t have a mother, and every little detail about other people’s mothers fascinated him. The way they spoke, joked, planned surprises. He quietly stored it away, imagining what it might feel like, what kind of warmth that love carried.

Sable noticed Lucien’s sudden quietness and whispered, "Holidays sound fun... but school with teacher is also fun."

Lucien smiled faintly. "Both are good," he said.

Alina watched all of them with a smile on her face.

"Alright," she said warmly, clapping her hands once. "You all did very well today. Go home, rest your brains, eat good food, and tomorrow we will have fun with art."

Finally, all the babies picked up their bags.

Alina followed behind the little parade of tiny backpacks and tiny footsteps, smiling as they waddled toward the door like a line of colorful ducklings. She had just reached the doorway when a soft, trembling voice called out from behind her.

"Teacher!"

She turned immediately and saw Boo hovering a little above the ground, looking heartbreakingly sad. His little ghost tail drooped like a wilted ribbon, and his eyes were already glassy as if he was preparing himself for a tragedy.

"Yes, sweetheart?" she asked gently.

Boo floated closer, clutching his bag with both tiny hands as though it weighed a hundred emotions instead of a few notebooks. His lips trembled as he whispered, "How long... holidays are?"

"A month, I guess," she said softly.

The change was instant. Boo’s face crumbled like a soft cookie underwater. His shoulders drooped, he let out a dramatic, shaky breath, and did the weakest, saddest little spin in the air.

"A month..." he whispered, voice breaking. "Boo is going to miss everyone..."

And then, with pure heartbreak dripping from his tone, he added, "Teacher... Boo is going to miss you the most."

Alina’s heart melted so fast she had to crouch down before she hugged him. He floated straight into her arms, cold and soft like a snowflake with feelings. He pressed his cheek against her shoulder and let out a theatrical sniff.

"I’ll miss you too," she murmured, rubbing his back gently. "But holidays will pass quickly. You’ll have fun at home, and then you’ll come back and tell me everything."

"But... but who will listen to Boo’s gossip at home?" he asked miserably, pulling away with trembling lips. "Ghost elders only meditate. They don’t care about who is crushing on who, who is eating snacks secretly, who is fighting, who is daydreaming in class—Boo has no audience there!"

Alina bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. "You can write it all in a diary and bring it to me when school starts again."

Boo gasped, shocked and honored. "Teacher wants Boo’s gossip diary?"

"Yes," she smiled.

Boo placed a tiny hand over his heart. "Teacher... Boo will record every scandal."

Sable tugged Boo’s sleeve gently. "We’ll meet again soon. Holidays are not forever."

Lucien placed a hand on Boo’s shoulder, calm and reassuring. "And we’ll talk on group chat. You can ask your elder to give you their phone. Teacher will be there too."

Boo sniffed hard and nodded bravely. "Yes... yes... Boo will survive..."

Sable, Felix, Drake, and Rocky patted him on the back encouragingly, and Luna rolled her eyes but smiled too. Alina held the door open, watching them shuffle together like a tiny support group.

As they walked out, Boo suddenly turned back again, floating backward dramatically.

"Teacher... Boo will miss you every day!"

Alina laughed softly, waving. "I’ll miss you too, sweetheart."