I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Chapter 649 649: Trip (7)

Drake reached into the next nesting box, his dragon claws dwarfing the small eggs inside. He pulled one out gently, surprisingly gently, and held it up to the light.

"It's... warm," he said.

"Eggs are warm when they're fresh," Lucien said.

"I know that. I just... I didn't expect it."

He placed the egg in the basket and reached for another.

Boo floated above them, watching the chickens. One of them pecked at the ground near him.

"Hello, chicken," Boo said. "Do you know you're about to be part of a delicious meal?"

The chicken clucked.

"I'll take that as yes."

Another chicken wandered over and pecked at Boo's translucent foot. Her beak passed right through him.

"Ah! She tried to eat me!"

"Chickens don't eat ghosts," Lucien said.

"This one might. She looks ambitious."

Lucien ignored him and finished collecting the eggs. He counted them twice to be sure. "Ten. We're done."

Drake looked into the nesting boxes. "There are more eggs here."

"Leave them. The chickens need to eat too."

"Chickens eat eggs?"

"Sometimes."

Drake stared at the eggs. Then at the chickens. Then back at the eggs. "That's dark."

"That's nature."

Boo floated down to the doorway. "Can we go now? I feel like the chickens are judging me."

"They're chickens."

"Judgmental chickens."

Lucien carried the basket out of the coop, Drake following behind him. Boo floated above them, keeping a careful distance from the ambitious chicken.

They reached the cottage and pushed open the door. The smell of rice filled the air, warm and comforting. The others were gathered around the table, their faces bright with anticipation.

"We got the eggs!" Drake announced, holding up the basket.

"Ten of them," Lucien added, setting the basket on the counter.

Felix inspected the eggs one by one. "These are perfect."

"Of course they are. I collected them," Drake said.

Boo floated over to the table. "The chickens were very brave. One of them tried to eat me."

"Chickens don't eat ghosts," Sable said.

"This one did. She was very determined."

Lilith, who had been watching from her chair, pointed at Boo. "Chicken eat ghost?"

"No. Ghosts are not edible."

"Den why chicken twy?"

"Because she was ambitious."

Lilith nodded seriously, as if this made perfect sense. "Am-bit-tious chicken."

"Yes."

"Wiwwy not ambitious. Wiwwy hungry."

Everyone laughed.

Felix cracked the eggs into a bowl, one by one. His movements were careful, practiced. The yolks were bright orange, almost glowing.

"Good eggs," he said.

"The chickens were well-fed," Lucien said.

After a while, when the rice was done, Felix fluffed it with a fork. The grains were white and tender, not too sticky, not too dry.

"It looks perfect," Kelpie whispered.

"It smells perfect," Rocky added.

"Let's taste it before we decide," Vlad Jr. said.

Felix scooped a small spoonful and held it out. Luna was the first to try. She chewed slowly, her eyes widening.

"It's good," she said. "Really good."

Kelpie tried next. His water droplets started falling faster. "It's so soft!"

Rocky nodded. "Better than peaches."

The children cheered.

Felix's ears turned pink. "We still have to make the eggs."

They cracked the eggs into a bowl, one by one. Drake was surprisingly gentle, his hands careful around the fragile shells. Boo tried to crack one by phasing his hand through it, which made a mess.

"I helped," Boo said.

"You made a disaster," Vlad Jr. said.

"A delicious disaster."

Felix whisked the eggs with a fork, adding a pinch of salt. He poured them into a hot pan, and they sizzled and bubbled and turned golden.

Lilith stood on a chair, watching with wide eyes. "Bubbles," she said. "Egg bubbles."

"Egg bubbles are the best bubbles," Kelpie said.

Felix scrambled the eggs until they were fluffy and soft, then scooped them into a large bowl. The children gathered around the table, bowls in hand, spoons at the ready.

"Wait," Vlad Jr. said. "We should say something before we eat."

They looked at him.

"Something like... thank you," he continued. "To Felix. For teaching us."

"And to everyone who helped," Felix added quietly.

"And to the chickens," Boo said. "For their service."

"And to the chickens," Vlad Jr. agreed.

They all looked at each other.

"Thank you," they said together. Then they laughed.

The first bite was magic.

The rice was warm and soft. The eggs were fluffy and rich. The salt brought out the flavors, simple and perfect.

Luna closed her eyes. "This is the best thing I've ever eaten."

"You said that about the peaches yesterday," Drake said.

"Yesterday was yesterday. Today is today."

"You're impossible."

"I'm honest."

Drake took another bite. Then another. He started eating faster, shoveling rice into his mouth, barely chewing.

"Don't eat too fast," Vlad Jr. reminded him. "It's not good for your stomach."

"Can't help it," Drake said, his words muffled by food. "So tasty!"

"You're going to choke."

"Worth it."

Lilith giggled. She ate slowly, carefully, her tiny spoon moving from her bowl to her mouth and back again. "Wiwwy wikes dis," she said. "Wikes cooking."

Sable ruffled her hair. "We'll cook more when we get home. For Mama and Dad."

Lilith nodded seriously. "Okay."

By the time the meal was over, the bowls were empty and the children were full. Some were leaning back in their chairs, patting their stomachs. Others were already thinking about the next meal, planning what to cook.

Drake ate so fast that he started hiccuping. Each hiccup made his wings flutter. "We made food so tasty!" he said between hiccups.

"Don't eat too fast," Vlad Jr. reminded him again, his voice patient but firm. "It's not good for your stomach."

"Can't help it! Hic! So good!"

Luna handed him a glass of water. "Drink this."

Drake drank. The hiccups stopped. He sighed, relieved. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Can we make this again tomorrow?"

"If you want."

"I want."

Felix sat at the end of the table, watching everyone. His tail swished slowly. His ears were relaxed. He looked satisfied.

"Good job, everyone," he said quietly.

"Good job, Felix," Vlad Jr. replied.

They smiled at each other.

Lilith climbed down from her chair and walked over to Felix. She patted his arm.

"Foxy good teacher," she said.

Felix's ears turned pink. "Thank you, Lily."

"Wiwwy help cwean up."

"You don't have to—"

"Wiwwy want to."

She picked up her bowl and carried it to the sink. It was almost too heavy for her, but she held on with both hands, her small legs wobbling.

Sable followed with his bowl. Then Lucien. Then the others.

They washed the dishes together, some washing, some drying, some putting things away. The water was warm. The soap smelled like lemons. The cottage felt like home.

When everything was clean, the children gathered on the porch to watch the sunset.

The sky turned orange and pink and purple, the clouds glowing like embers. The peach blossoms drifted down around them, soft and slow.

Lilith sat on Lucien's lap, wrapped in a blanket. Her eyes were heavy. Her breathing was slow.

"Wiwwy tired," she mumbled.

"Then sleep," Lucien said.

"Wanna watch sunset."

"You can watch with your eyes closed."

"Dat not watching."

"Dream watching."

Lilith considered this. Then she closed her eyes.

Within moments, she was asleep, her small body warm against Lucien's chest, her bunny tucked under her arm.

Sable looked at her. "She missed them today."

Lucien nodded. "I know."

"She didn't want us to see."

"She's stubborn."

"Like Dad."

"Like Mom."

They were quiet for a moment.

"She's happy now," Sable said.

"Yes," Lucien agreed. "She is."

The sun dipped below the mountains. The stars came out, one by one.

And the children stayed on the porch, watching the sky, listening to the stream, feeling the peach blossoms fall.