I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!-Chapter 535 What is wrong with this little one?

Chapter 535: Chapter 535 What is wrong with this little one?

Why do they all look alert? Why do they all look like they know something?

Drake forced a small grin onto his face, but it did not reach his eyes. His usual confident smile looked stretched, fake, like a mask slipping into place. However, his little face should hide nothing. Alina could see something was wrong.

"Nothing is wrong," he said, his voice slightly too high. "I am extremely powerful. Very powerful. Maximum power. Power level normal."

Luna coughed loudly, a fake cough that clearly meant he was lying.

Felix’s lips pressed into a thin line, his expression screaming, I am staying out of this.

Boo floated backward slowly, putting distance between himself and Drake like he was distancing himself from a future explosion he did not want to be near.

Alina crossed her arms lightly, her teacher face sliding into place. The face that said, I am not angry, but I am also not fooled.

"Drake," she said again, her voice patient but firm. "You are sitting still. You are not arguing. Your fire is behaving. This is not normal for you."

"That is called personal growth," Drake attempted weakly. "Maybe I am maturing."

Luna snorted.

Felix covered his mouth.

Boo whispered loudly, "He is not maturing. He is a dragon. Dragons do not mature."

Alina ignored them all, keeping her focus on Drake. "Look at me."

He looked.

His eyes were bright but tired. There were small shadows underneath that she had not noticed before. His usual spark, the inner fire that made him Drake, seemed dimmed.

"When did this start?" she asked quietly.

Drake hesitated. "Yesterday? Maybe two days ago? Time is confusing."

"Did something happen?"

"No."

"Did you eat something strange?"

"I eat everything strange."

"Did you sleep badly?"

Drake paused. "I slept normally. Eight hours. Maybe nine. Sleeping is boring, so I lose count."

Alina crouched down beside him, bringing herself to his level. Her voice softened even more.

"Does anything hurt?"

He thought about it. "No. Just tired. And my back feels weird. Tight."

"Weird how?"

"Like something wants to come out but cannot decide."

Alina blinked. That was not a normal symptom description. She filed it away for later consideration.

Behind her, the other children had abandoned all pretense of practicing. They were openly watching now, their practice forgotten.

Boo floated closer, unable to resist. "He has been like this since morning. We were monitoring. Dragon observation mission."

"You were spying on your friend?" Alina asked, glancing back.

"We were concerned," Vlad Jr. corrected politely. "Observation is different from spying."

Luna nodded firmly. "We were going to tell you if he got worse."

Drake looked mildly offended. "I was right here. You were all talking about me while I was right here."

"Yes," Felix said flatly. "That is what concern looks like."

Alina turned back to Drake, her hand reaching out to rest gently on his forehead. He felt warm, but he was a fire dragon, so that meant nothing.

"You are not running a fever," she murmured. "At least not a human fever."

"I am a dragon," Drake reminded her. "My temperature is different."

"I know."

She sat back on her heels, thinking. Her eyes moved across the room, landing on each child in turn. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Has anyone else felt strange lately? Tired? Different?"

They all shook their heads.

Just Drake.

Alina looked at him again, really looked. His wings were drooping. His tail lay still instead of swishing. His usual restless energy was completely absent.

"Alright," she said finally, her voice gentle but decisive. "After practice, you are coming with me to the nurse’s office."

Drake’s eyes widened. "Nurse? I do not need a nurse! Nurses are for sick people!"

"You just said you feel weird and tired."

"Weird and tired is not sick," Drake argued weakly. "Weird and tired is just... Tuesday."

"It is Thursday," Felix corrected.

Drake waved his hand dismissively. "The day does not matter."

Alina stood up, brushing off her knees. "It matters to me. You are coming to the nurse."

Drake opened his mouth to argue further, but something in her expression made him close it again. He nodded slowly, defeated.

"...Okay."

Behind him, Boo whispered dramatically to Kelpie, "Dragoon is being escorted to medical. This is serious. This is an emergency."

"It is not an emergency," Drake snapped, but his voice lacked bite.

"Emergency vibes," Boo insisted.

Alina turned back to the rest of the class. "Everyone else, continue practice. I am watching."

They scrambled to resume their positions, but all of them kept glancing at Drake.

After practice, Alina took Drake to the nurse’s office.

She simply held his warm little hand and guided him down the hallway toward the nurse’s office, her steps calm but her heart slightly unsettled. His palm was warm against hers, warmer than usual even for a fire dragon, and she could feel the slight drag in his steps. Drake walked beside her, wings drooping just a little lower than usual, his tail dragging lazily like a tired puppy too exhausted to wag.

"I am tired," he repeated stubbornly, for what felt like the hundredth time. "Not sick. Tired and sick are different categories."

"Yes," Alina said gently, giving his hand a small squeeze. "We are just checking. Powerful dragons also get checked sometimes. Even the most powerful ones."

"I am extremely powerful," he corrected automatically, the words coming out by habit more than conviction.

She smiled faintly. "Of course."

They reached the small wooden door with the tiny brass plate that read Madame Thistle – Healer & Keeper of Minor Disasters.

Alina knocked softly.

Inside, Madame Thistle was seated in her oversized armchair, tiny round glasses perched on the tip of her nose as she read a thick medical tome that looked older than most kingdoms and twice as heavy. A faint scent of herbs and mint floated in the air, calming and medicinal. Dried plants hung from the ceiling in neat bundles. Bottles shimmered along shelves in every shade of green and amber, their contents mysterious and slightly intimidating.

"Madame Thistle," Alina called gently.

The old nurse looked up from her book, and a bright smile immediately bloomed on her wrinkled face. Her eyes crinkled with genuine warmth.

"Oh," she said warmly, setting the massive tome aside with a thud. "Alina. What a pleasant surprise."

Then her sharp eyes dropped to Drake.

Her smile did not disappear, but it changed into focused and knowing.

"And what is wrong with this little one?" she asked calmly, already sensing something.