I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Chapter 596 Rivals

A tall boy from Class C stepped forward, his green outfit bright against his dark skin. His eyes narrowed.

"We will win!" he shouted back immediately. "You all are small! How can you win? Look at you! You have a ghost who wears a ribbon!"

Boo gasped loudly, placing both hands on his chest like he had just been personally attacked.

"SMALL?" he repeated. "We are not small! We are compact! Efficient! Space-saving!"

Felix closed his eyes.

"This is happening already. Before any event. Before the first race. We are already trash-talking."

Luna stepped forward slightly, her arms crossing over her chest. Her red headband was pulled tight, her ponytail swinging behind her.

"We are small," she said calmly, her voice steady, "but we are fast."

Kelpie nodded eagerly, water droplets spraying around him.

"And strong! Very strong! Water strong!"

Rocky lifted his small fist, his stone face serious.

"And steady. Stones are steady."

Sable leaned forward from behind Lucien.

"And cute! Cute is important for winning!"

Lucien added quietly, his voice calm, "And coordinated. We practiced."

Boo floated higher again, pointing dramatically at Class C with both hands.

"And also... we have me."

There was a long pause.

Felix muttered, "That is not helping. That is never helping."

Class C kids scoffed loudly.

"You have a ghost who talks too much!"

"We have more players!"

"And bigger players!"

"And stronger players!"

"And players who don’t float away during races!"

Boo leaned forward mid-air, narrowing his eyes, his cap tilting even more.

"Quantity does not equal quality," he said seriously, his voice dropping to something almost intelligent.

Felix blinked.

"...Did you just say something intelligent?"

"I say many intelligent things," Boo replied immediately. "You just ignore them because you are jealous of my ribbon."

"I am not jealous of your ribbon."

"Your face says otherwise."

Meanwhile, Luna stepped closer to the front, her tail flicking slightly behind her, her eyes fixed on the tallest kid in Class C.

"We will see on the field," she said simply.

Her voice was calm. Confident. Like she had already run the race in her head and knew she had won.

Drake cracked his knuckles slightly, stepping up beside her.

"I just came back stronger," he said, grinning wide. "Bad timing for you. Very bad timing. I have been resting. I have been eating. I have been growing. I am basically a new dragon."

"You look the same," the tall boy said.

Drake’s grin faltered. "...I look taller."

"You look exactly the same."

Luna snorted.

Drake glared at her. "You said I looked taller!"

"I was being nice."

"You are never nice!"

"I am being nice today. Special occasion."

Class C hesitated for a second, glancing at each other.

Then a small voice piped up from behind them.

"Excuse me."

Everyone turned.

Capi stepped forward from the middle of Class C, his leaf bouncing on top of his head, his green eyes bright and cheerful. He had been standing quietly behind the taller kids, but now he moved to the front, his small hands clasped behind his back.

"Um," he said, looking at Boo. "I think Class D is very good. But Class C is also very good. So... may the best class win?"

He smiled.

It was a genuine smile. No anger. No rivalry. Just sunshine.

Boo stared at him.

"...You are supposed to be angry," Boo said.

"I am not angry."

"We are rivals!"

"Can rivals be friends?"

Boo paused. He thought about this. His cap tilted as he considered the question.

"...Maybe," he said slowly. "But only after we win."

Capi nodded. "Okay. After you win. Or after we win."

"You will not win."

"We will try."

Boo squinted at him. Capi smiled back.

Felix muttered, "I cannot believe Capi just neutralized Boo’s trash talk with politeness."

Luna’s ears twitched. "That was... unexpected."

Drake leaned toward Vlad Jr. "Is he always like that?"

Vlad Jr. nodded. "Yes. He is very... nice."

"Can we win against nice?"

"We can try."

Boo floated back to his group, still watching Capi suspiciously.

"He is dangerous," Boo whispered to Kelpie.

"He seems friendly," Kelpie said.

"That is how they get you. Friendliness."

Kelpie looked confused. "But... we are friendly."

"That is different. Our friendliness is chaotic. His friendliness is... organized."

Across the field, Capi waved at Class D.

"Good luck, everyone!" he called.

Boo’s eye twitched.

"He waved. Why did he wave? Is that strategy?"

Felix sighed. "It is called sportsmanship."

"I don’t like it," Boo said.

"You don’t like anything," Felix replied, rolling his eyes.

"I like winning," Boo said, spinning around.

"Attention everyone." Dante’s voice carried clearly through the playground as he spoke into the microphone, calm yet powerful enough to quiet even the most excited children. The noise slowly faded, chatter turning into soft whispers before settling into complete silence.

All eyes turned toward him.

He stood at the front, dressed neatly as always, his presence composed and commanding, yet there was something lighter in his expression today, something that matched the energy of the event. The morning sun caught his dark hair, and for a moment, he looked almost relaxed.

"Today is not just about winning," he began, his voice even, carrying across the field. "It is about effort. About teamwork. About learning how to stand, fall, and stand again."

The children listened.

Some seriously, nodding along like they understood every word.

Some trying to, though their eyes kept drifting toward the track.

Boo nodded like he understood everything, his cap bobbing with each nod. "Yes," he whispered loudly to Kelpie. "Effort. Teamwork. Very important words."

Felix listened properly, his arms crossed, his expression thoughtful.

Luna stood with her arms crossed too but didn’t look away from Dante, her ears angled forward.

Drake looked excited, practically bouncing on his feet. "Can we start now?" he whispered.

"Each class will compete as one team," Dante continued. "Every point matters. Every effort counts. No matter how small."

He paused briefly.

His eyes moved across the children, across the colorful outfits, across the banners some classes had made.

"And remember," he added, his tone softening just a little, "enjoy it."

As soon as he stepped back, the energy returned immediately, exploding like someone had opened a door.

Miss Kelly stepped forward with a bright smile, her clipboard in hand.

"Alright!" she said cheerfully. "Our first competition is running. Simple race. Straight line. Fastest runner wins points for their class."

Excited murmurs spread across the field.

"Those who have registered, please come forward and stand in your lanes!"

Children began moving quickly, some running, some walking with determination, some looking around nervously as if they had forgotten which lane was theirs.

From Class D—

Three stepped forward.

Luna.

Drake.

Felix.