I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!-Chapter 531 Secret

"You just said you feel weird," Luna reminded him flatly. "You said weird like five times."

"Yes, but weird is not dangerous," Drake replied defensively, waving his hands. "Weird is just... weird. People feel weird all the time. Grown-ups feel weird. Babies feel weird. Animals feel weird. Weird is a worldly experience."

Felix narrowed his eyes with scientific suspicion. "You cannot determine that. You have no medical training. You cannot diagnose yourself."

"I can determine," Drake argued weakly, though his voice wavered. "I am a dragon. Dragons have instincts. My instinct says no teacher."

"That does not make you a Healer," Felix replied flatly. "That makes you a dragon with opinions."

Kelpie tilted his head, water droplets falling from his hair. "Are you scared? It is okay to be scared. I get scared sometimes."

Drake immediately puffed his cheeks indignantly. "I am not scared! Dragons do not get scared! We get... cautious. Strategically cautious."

Boo floated closer, squinting at him suspiciously from inches away, his face pressed close to Drake’s. "Then why do you not want the teacher? Explain. Use words. Good words."

Drake hesitated, his mouth opening and closing.

"...Because."

"That is not a reason," Vlad Jr. said calmly. "That is a word, not an explanation."

Drake glanced toward the building again, lowering his voice to a dramatic whisper. "If the teacher knows, she will worry."

They all paused, processing this.

Rocky blinked slowly, his stone eyes thoughtful. "She always worries. That is what a teacher does."

"Yes," Drake nodded quickly, warming to his argument. "Exactly. And then she will stare at me with serious eyes and ask many questions and sit near me and—"

"That is called caring," Lucien said quietly, interrupting the spiral.

Drake looked slightly uncomfortable, his bravado faltering. "I do not want her to look at me like I am broken. Like I am a fragile egg that might crack."

That made the group go quiet.

Sable’s small shadow fingers tightened slightly around Drake’s sleeve, his silver eyes soft. "You are not broken. You are a strong dragon."

"I know," Drake muttered, looking away. "But if she thinks I am sick, she will sit near me the whole time and watch me and—"

"And that is bad?" Luna asked, genuinely curious.

Drake looked away further, his cheeks slightly pink. "...No. But also yes."

Felix sighed softly, understanding dawning. "You are worried about attention. Too much attention. Worried attention."

"I am not worried!" Drake snapped, though his voice lacked fire. "I just... do not want to make a big issue. A small issue can stay small. A big issue is annoying."

Vlad Jr. studied him carefully with those beautiful crimson eyes. "You prefer solving it yourself. Independently. Without assistance."

Drake nodded once, grateful someone understood.

Lucien’s voice was calm and steady, like a river. "If it gets worse, we tell her. That is the agreement. We watch, and if things become more serious, we inform the authority."

Drake hesitated, clearly wrestling with himself, then nodded slowly.

"Okay," he agreed reluctantly. "If I start... falling over dramatically or something. Or breathing fire by accident. Or turning colors. Or—"

"That will happen anyway," Luna muttered under her breath.

"I heard that," Drake said weakly, but there was no real protest.

Boo floated in a slow circle around him, his tail swishing thoughtfully. "Fine. We observe Dragoon secretly. Like scientists. Dragon observation project."

Felix raised a brow. "We are not forming a surveillance team. That is ridiculous."

"We already did," Boo replied proudly, gesturing at the group. "Look around. Everyone watching. Everyone concerned. Surveillance team active."

Rocky looked relieved, his small shoulders dropping. "So we do not tell the teacher now? We keep it secret?"

Lucien answered calmly, "Not yet. We wait. We watch. We act if needed."

Drake let out a slow breath, clearly grateful for the reprieve. His whole body relaxed slightly.

"Thank you," he said, trying to sound strong again despite his drooping wings. "I will fix myself. Self-repair. Dragons are good at self-repair."

Luna rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful. "You are not a machine. You are a creature with feelings."

Drake straightened slightly despite still looking tired, mustering what dignity he could. "I am a dragon. Dragons are better than machines."

And the group stayed there around him, forming a loose circle of worried friends. They pretended to resume their normal play, Boo floating in lazy circles, Kelpie splashing smaller arcs than usual, Rocky pretending to arrange pebbles while actually watching Drake from the corner of his eye.

But all of them were quietly watching him.

Just in case.

After playtime ended, the staff called them back inside with a gentle whistle that carried across the garden.

Usually, Drake would be the first to rush ahead, his wings flapping slightly, trying to beat Luna through the door with competitive fire in his eyes. He would shout something like, "Last one inside is a slow snail!" and then zoom off before anyone could respond.

But today he walked slower.

Not dramatically slow. Not falling-over slow. Just slower enough that everyone noticed. His steps were careful, like he was testing the ground before committing to each footfall.

Luna noticed the most.

She glanced at him once, her golden-brown eyes sharp. Then she glanced again, her ears twitching. And then she did not even try to run ahead. She slowed her own pace, matching his without comment, walking beside him like a silent guard.

What was the point of winning if there was no competition?

The hallway felt strangely calm as they moved toward the classroom. The usual chaos of twenty little feet running and twenty little voices shouting was replaced by something quieter, more measured. Even Boo floated instead of zooming.

"We have to go to the practice room," Vlad Jr. said in his steady, clear voice as they walked. He had checked the schedule that morning, as always. "The teacher said we would practice positioning today."

The others nodded automatically, too subdued to argue.

Without being asked twice, Vlad Jr. took the lead. He did not rush. He walked at a pace everyone could follow, his small back straight, his steps precise. Occasionally he glanced back to make sure no one was falling behind, his beautiful red eyes sweeping across the group.

Especially Drake.