I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!-Chapter 584 The only hope for the future

"They made me sleep on an energy ball."

Silence.

Complete silence.

Kelpie’s mouth fell open.

"A what?" Rocky whispered.

"An energy ball," Boo repeated, his voice climbing back to its usual volume. "A glowing, floating, extremely powerful energy ball made of pure ghost magic. Right in the center of the tower. With lights. And sounds. And everything."

Kelpie gasped, water droplets spraying from his hair.

"Was it scary?"

"No!"

"Was it fun?"

Boo paused dramatically.

"...Mysterious."

Felix rubbed his temple with one hand, the gesture slow and deliberate.

"That is not a clear description," he said. "That is not a description at all. That is an adjective."

Boo ignored him completely.

"I don’t know what happened," he continued, floating slowly in a circle so everyone could admire him properly, his cap sparkling faintly with every turn. "I went to sleep somehow. And then I woke up. And Elder said it is because I am the only child in the tower."

He paused for effect, letting the words settle.

The room went quiet again.

"The only one."

His voice dropped to something almost solemn.

"The only hope for the future."

Rocky’s eyes widened so much they looked like they might fall out of his stone face.

Kelpie placed both hands on his cheeks, his mouth forming a perfect O.

"That sounds very important," he whispered. "Very, very important."

Sable leaned closer to Lucien, his voice hushed.

"That is important, right? That is the kind of thing that happens to important people?"

Lucien nodded thoughtfully, his expression serious.

"It sounds like responsibility," he said. "The kind that comes with ceremony."

Boo lifted his chin slightly higher, his cap adjusting itself as if responding to his mood.

"And this will continue for three years," he added with a dramatic sigh, placing one hand over his chest. "Three years of being special. Three years of sleeping on energy balls. Three years of destiny."

Luna squinted at him from across the circle, her arms still crossed.

"...You are always like this," she said flatly. "You are always dramatic. You are always announcing things. This is not different."

"No," Boo corrected immediately, spinning to face her. "Before, I was naturally special. Now I am officially special. There is paperwork."

Felix’s eyebrow twitched.

"There is no paperwork."

"There is ghost paperwork. You cannot see it because it is ghost."

"That is not how paperwork works."

Boo ignored him again, turning back to his audience.

"It is destiny," he declared.

Kelpie nodded eagerly, his water rippling with excitement.

"Yes! Destiny!"

Rocky added seriously, clutching his stone tighter, "You must be very important. The most important."

Boo sighed again, floating a little higher, letting his cap catch the light.

"I know."

He placed a hand over his forehead, tilting back dramatically.

"Although I always knew I was destined to do something big," he added in a soft, wistful tone, "this just confirms it. The universe has spoken. The elders have spoken. The energy ball has spoken."

Felix leaned slightly toward Lucien, his voice dry.

"He confirmed it himself. No one else confirmed it. Only him."

Lucien nodded, his expression perfectly neutral.

"That is efficient. No waiting for external validation."

Sable giggled quietly.

Meanwhile Luna stared at Boo for a moment longer, her eyes narrowed. Then she turned away sharply, her tail flicking.

"...Your cap looks stupid," she muttered.

Boo gasped so loudly that several children startled.

"It is ceremonial!" he shouted, his hands flying to his head to protect the cap’s honor. "It was given to me by the elders! In a ceremony!"

"It is crooked."

Boo’s hands flew up to adjust it immediately, pushing it straight with frantic precision.

"It is fashion!" he declared. "Fashion is not crooked. Fashion is personal choice!"

At that moment, Alina stepped fully into the classroom.

She had been standing near the door, watching the entire scene unfold, her smile growing with every word. The energy of the room was different from the day before. Fuller. Lighter. The empty spaces didn’t feel so empty anymore.

She watched them for a second longer, her heart warm.

Then she smiled.

"...Good morning," she said warmly.

Boo spun around immediately, his cap sparkling as he moved.

"Teacher!" he said proudly, floating toward her with the kind of confidence usually reserved for royalty. "I have returned. With new responsibilities. And a cap."

Alina looked at his cap, at the silver sparkle that danced across its surface, at the way it sat on his head like it belonged there.

"...I can see that," she said, her smile widening.

"And also," Boo added quickly, lowering his voice like he was sharing the most important secret in the world, floating closer to her ear, "I have very important gossip. From the festival. From the energy ball. From the elders. Very juicy gossip."

Felix sighed deeply from across the room.

"Of course you do."

Boo ignored him completely, already launching into what promised to be a very long and very detailed story.

Alina listened, her smile soft, her heart light.

"Alright everyone, please go back to your desks," she said gently, clapping her hands once to gather their attention. "And Boo, you can tell your experience later. We will have free time after the lesson."

There was a small wave of reluctant movement.

Boo floated back slowly, adjusting his ghostly cap like it was something very official that required constant maintenance. He patted it twice, checked its tilt, then patted it again for good measure.

Kelpie returned to his seat, still looking at Boo with undisguised admiration, his water droplets falling in happy little splashes. He kept glancing back as if expecting Boo to start another dramatic story at any moment.

Rocky carefully carried his stone back with him, holding it in both hands like it might break if he moved too fast. He placed it gently on his desk, right in the corner where he could see it.

Luna walked to her desk with her arms still crossed, her tail swishing behind her in a way that said she was pretending she hadn’t been interested at all. She sat down heavily, looking anywhere but at the empty seat across the room. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Felix went back without a word, already opening his book again, but he didn’t turn to the page he had been reading. He just opened it somewhere and stared at the words without seeing them.

Lucien and Sable returned to their desk together, Sable sliding into his seat while Lucien pulled his chair in quietly. They exchanged a look that said more than words could.

The classroom settled into its usual arrangement, chairs scraping, papers shuffling, small bodies finding their places.

But one place stayed empty.

Alina picked up the attendance sheet and began calling names one by one.

"Lucien."

"Here."

"Sable."

"Here!" Sable’s voice was bright, but there was something missing from it.

"Felix."

"...Present."

"Rocky."

"Here," Rocky whispered, his stone clutched against his chest.

"Kelpie."

"Here!" Kelpie raised his hand, water spraying, but even his splash seemed smaller than usual.

"Luna."

"Obviously here."

"Vlad Jr."

"Present, Teacher."

"Boo."

"Here!" Boo’s voice was loud, but it wasn’t his usual loud. It was trying to be his usual loud.

When she reached Drake’s name, there was silence.

Alina paused for just a second, her pen hovering over the paper.

She looked at the empty desk in the corner. At the chair that was pushed in perfectly, the way Drake never left it. At the desk with its slightly scratched surface from his claws. At the space where his wings usually bumped into things.

She marked the paper.

"Drake," she said softly, "absent."

She didn’t linger on it. She continued the attendance, finished the sheet, placed it aside.