I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!-Chapter 437 Big Boys

Lucien looked off to the side, giving a little cough into his fist as if it would help him sound more dignified. "I can manage," he stated, very seriously. "I understand the mechanism of buttons."

Sable peeked up at her from beneath his long eyelashes, his expression both shy and determined. "We... we want to try by ourselves," he whispered. Then his eyes flicked quickly over to Dante, a silent plea for some kind of backup.

Dante raised one eyebrow, pretending to consider the matter, though his eyes were clearly dancing with quiet laughter. "Seems their minds are made up," he said, his voice even. "Getting to be big boys already."

Alina looked at their determined little faces for another second, then let out a big, pretend sigh of defeat, even though her eyes were sparkling with affection. "Alright, alright," she said, holding her hands up in surrender. "Big boys can do it themselves."

Immediate relief washed over both their faces.

"But," she added, pointing a playful finger at each of them, "if a button gives you trouble, you call for me. No trying to fight it alone, deal?"

Lucien nodded, his expression solemn. "Agreed."

Sable nodded too, with so much force his hair bounced. "Agreed."

The saleswoman watched them with a quiet chuckle, her hand over her heart. "They are just adorable," she murmured.

As the two boys turned and marched toward the changing room curtain with all the grave importance of soldiers on a very important mission, Dante leaned his head down close to Alina’s. His voice was a low murmur meant only for her ear. "You broke them."

She glanced up at him, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Me?"

"Yes," he said, his eyes still on the curtain where the boys had vanished. "You made them shy."

Alina’s lips curved into a small, amused smile as she watched the two boys disappear, their hushed, serious whispers about sleeves and buttons just barely drifting out from behind the fabric. A soft, fond laugh escaped her. "They’re both so shy," she said, almost to herself.

Without really thinking about it, she leaned back a little. Her shoulder came to rest lightly against the solid warmth of Dante’s upper arm. It wasn’t something she planned. It just felt natural. In the middle of this bright, unfamiliar place, his presence felt like a safe harbor, something solid she could lean on.

Dante’s head tilted down toward hers. He was so tall that even this small movement brought him very close. She could feel the soft, warm stir of his breath against the very edge of her ear, a touch as light as a feather. His voice, when it came, was a deep, quiet rumble that seemed to exist only in the small space between the two of them.

"But I am not shy at all."

The words, spoken in that slow, sure, gravel-soft way of his, went through her like a gentle shock. Her eyes flew open wider. A tiny, breathless sound caught in the back of her throat. She felt a sudden, fierce heat flood her ears, burning all the way to the tips.

He didn’t pull back. "Maybe," he continued, the sound a low, intimate tease that vibrated right through her, "you should help someone who is actually in need." He paused, letting the air around them grow thick and quiet for one long, heartbeat-filled moment. "For example... me."

The flush on her ears became a full, burning warmth that spread down her neck. She jerked upright, away from his arm, clutching the little stack of children’s clothes to her chest like a shield. "D-Dante," she whispered, the name half a laugh and half a plea, her composure utterly scattered.

He finally drew back, just enough to see her face. A small, knowing smile touched his lips, but his eyes weren’t sharp or challenging. They were just warm. "Relax," he murmured. "It was only a joke."

She stared at him, her expression clearly stating she didn’t believe that for a second. Then she shook her head, letting out a small, exasperated huff of air, though she couldn’t quite fight the smile pulling at her own mouth. "You’re terrible."

"Only with you," he answered, his voice calm and simple, as if stating a plain fact.

Sable came out first. He stood for a moment in the opening of the curtain, his small hands clutching the soft hem of the new shirt like he wasn’t sure where they should go. He took two small, hesitant steps forward on the carpeted floor, then stopped, his little shoulders curling in slightly. He tilted his head down in that way he always did, as if trying to hide from all the eyes that might be looking.

The clothes fit him perfectly. He wore a pair of soft, dove-gray pants that ended just above his ankles, and the little shirt was the one with the beautiful bird printed on it. The white fabric made his dark hair and eyes look even softer. The outfit was so neat and tidy on his small frame that it somehow made him look even more delicate, like a little gentleman who had just stepped out of a storybook.

When he finally lifted his eyes, they were wide and a little lost, searching quietly through the store until they landed on Alina’s face.

Alina felt her heart melt instantly, softening into a warm, sweet ache. Without thinking, she crouched right down, bringing her whole self to his level so he wouldn’t feel small. Her smile came slowly, warm and patient, the kind that waited for him. "Oh," she breathed out, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper, as if speaking too loudly might startle him. "You look so handsome, Sable."

A deep, rosy pink bloomed high on his cheeks at once. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his small fingers twisting together in front of him. "R...really?" he asked, his voice so small it was almost lost in the quiet of the store. He glanced sideways, then back at her, as if he half-expected someone to tell him it wasn’t true.

"Yes," she said right away, her voice firm with kindness. She reached out and gently smoothed the soft fabric on his little shoulder, her touch light and careful, not wanting to crowd him. "Very, very handsome."