I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Chapter 598 Consistent

"My feet hurt," she said quietly.

Alina’s eyes flashed with worry. She looked down at Luna’s legs, at the way she was holding her weight off one side, at the scrape on her knee already starting to redden.

"Can you stand?" Alina asked.

Luna tried.

She pushed herself up, but the moment she put weight on her left foot, she winced and stumbled. Alina caught her immediately, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Okay," Alina said softly. "Okay. I’ve got you."

She pulled Luna into her arms, lifting her gently. Luna was light, so Alina carried her easily. Luna curled into Alina’s chest without protest, her small hands gripping Alina’s shirt.

"Let’s get you to the nurse," Alina said.

Luna didn’t argue. She just pressed her face against Alina’s shoulder and stayed quiet.

Alina walked quickly, her steps steady, her arms secure around the little wolf. Behind her, the race continued. Children cheered. Feet pounded. But Alina didn’t look back. She carried Luna across the field.

"Teacher," Luna whispered.

"Yes?"

"I wanted to win."

Alina’s heart clenched. "I know," she said softly. "But it’s okay. There are other races."

"I wanted to win this one."

"I know."

Luna was quiet for a moment. Then, very softly, she said, "I’m sorry."

Alina stopped walking. She looked down at the small wolf in her arms, at her red rimmed eyes, at the dirt smudged on her cheek.

"You don’t have to be sorry," Alina said. "Falling is not something to be sorry about."

Luna blinked. "But I lost."

"You fell. That’s different."

"Is it?"

Alina started walking again, her voice gentle. "Winning is about doing your best. You did your best. You ran hard. You just had bad luck."

Luna was quiet. Then she said, "My knee hurts."

"I know. We’re almost there."

Luna nodded and rested her head against Alina’s shoulder again.

By the time Alina carried her into the nurse’s office, the crowd’s roar had already peaked and faded. The announcer’s voice echoed across the field, calling out placements, but Alina wasn’t listening. She was focused on the small wolf in her arms, on the way Luna’s fingers clutched her shirt, on the quiet sniffles she was trying very hard to hide.

Madame Thistle took one look at them and motioned to the chair.

"Put her here," she said calmly.

Alina sat Luna down gently, kneeling in front of her. Luna’s knee was scraped, red and raw, with tiny bits of grass stuck to the skin. Her palms were scratched too, and her elbow had a small bruise already forming.

"Let me see," Madame Thistle said, crouching down with a damp cloth. "This will sting a little."

Luna nodded but didn’t complain. She sat still, her hands in her lap, her eyes fixed on the floor. The cloth pressed against her knee, and she flinched but didn’t make a sound.

Alina stayed beside her, one hand on her back.

"You’re being very brave," Alina said quietly.

Luna didn’t answer.

Madame Thistle worked quickly, cleaning the scrapes, applying something cool that smelled like herbs, wrapping a bandage around Luna’s knee. "Nothing broken," she announced. "Just a bad fall. She’ll be sore for a day or two, but she’ll heal."

Alina exhaled. Luna still didn’t look up.

"Thank you," Alina said.

Madame Thistle nodded and stepped away to put her supplies back.

Alina sat on the bench beside Luna and put an arm around her shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly.

Luna shook her head.

"Okay. We don’t have to."

They sat in silence. Outside, the cheers continued. Another race had started. The announcer’s voice drifted through the open window, calling out names and classes. Luna’s ears twitched at the sound. But she didn’t move.

***

Meanwhile, back on the field, the race had finished.

A wolf boy from Class A came first, his yellow uniform flashing across the finish line with his arms raised in victory. The crowd cheered loudly, his classmates rushing to meet him.

Second place went to a tall girl from Class C, her green outfit bright against the grass. She crossed the line breathing hard but smiling, high fiving her teammates.

And third place went to Felix.

He crossed the line at a steady pace, not sprinting, not gasping, just finishing. His face was calm, his breathing even, like he had just completed a pleasant walk instead of a competitive race.

"Third place goes to Felix from Class D!" the announcer called.

The Class D section erupted.

"FELIX!"

"THIRD PLACE!"

"POINTS!"

Boo waved his torn banner wildly, glitter scattering everywhere. "FELIX IS FAST! I ALWAYS SAID FELIX WAS FAST! HE IS VERY FAST! INTELLIGENTLY FAST!"

Felix walked back toward his classmates, his expression unchanged.

"You got third," Drake said, somewhere between impressed and envious.

Felix gave a small nod. "Yes."

"You ran slow," Drake pointed out, pouting slightly.

"I ran consistent," Felix replied, his tone as flat as ever.

"That’s the same thing," Drake grumbled.

"Consistent and slow are not the same," Felix said calmly.

Boo floated directly in front of Felix’s face. "Are you happy?"

Felix considered for a moment. "Acceptably."

Boo gasped dramatically. "That means yes!"

"It means acceptably."

"Same thing!"

Felix didn’t argue, but the tips of his ears turned pink.

Kelpie bounced up and down, her energy infectious. "We got points! Felix got points! Class D is winning!"

"Not winning," Vlad Jr. corrected, pushing up his glasses as he consulted his notes. "But not losing either."

Boo crossed his little arms. "That is winning emotionally."

Vlad Jr. sighed. "That is not a category."

"It is now," Boo declared with absolute authority.

Drake stood slightly apart from the group.

He was smiling. He was clapping for Felix. He was cheering with the others. But his smile was smaller than usual. His tail hung still behind him, not wagging.

He had run fast. He had pushed himself until his legs burned and his lungs ached. He had given everything he had.

But he hadn’t placed.

The wolf boy from Class A was faster. The tall girl from Class C was faster. Even Felix, who ran like he was out for a casual stroll, had placed.

And Drake hadn’t.

He was a dragon. He was supposed to be fast. He was supposed to win.

But today, he wasn’t fast enough.

And that stung.

"Drake?"

He blinked. Vlad Jr. was watching him with quiet concern.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

Drake forced a grin, bright and fake. "Yes! I am great! Felix got third! That’s amazing!"

Vlad Jr. studied him for a moment, seeing through the performance but choosing not to call it out. Instead, he said, "We are going to check on Luna now."

Drake’s expression shifted instantly. The fake smile dropped, replaced by genuine worry. "Is she okay?"

"I don’t know," Vlad Jr. admitted. "But we can go now and see before the new games begin."

"Let’s go," Drake said, already moving.

The group came together, a cluster of red crossing the field toward the nurse’s office. Boo floated ahead, his torn banner trailing behind him like a battle flag.

"LUNA! WE ARE COMING! PREPARE FOR CHEERING!"

They found her sitting on a bench outside the nurse’s office, Alina beside her. Her knee was bandaged. Her hands had small plasters on the palms. Her red outfit was still smudged with dirt and grass stains.

She looked up when she heard them.

"Luna!!" they called in unison.