I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!-Chapter 572 Empty

When Alina stepped into Class D, she paused for just a second at the doorway, her eyes moving instinctively across the room, counting each familiar little face the way she always did at the start of every day.

Luna was already in her seat, pretending to be uninterested as she traced something invisible on her desk with her claw. Her tail was wrapped around her leg, and her ears kept twitching toward the door every few seconds.

Felix sat beside the window, flipping through his book with quiet focus, though he hadn’t turned a page in several minutes.

Kelpie and Rocky were together again on the floor, this time carefully arranging small pebbles in a neat line while adding tiny drops of water to make them shine. Kelpie was being extra gentle, which was unusual for him.

Lucien and Sable sat side by side as always, Sable leaning slightly into him, whispering something soft that made Lucien nod once in response.

And Vlad Jr. was already seated properly at his desk, his notebook open, reviewing something he had clearly prepared in advance, though his pencil hadn’t moved in a while.

Alina smiled faintly.

Then her gaze shifted.

She looked toward the usual corner near the window, where Boo always floated, where his sparkly shirts caught the morning light, where his dramatic voice filled the room before she even said good morning.

It was empty.

No floating.

No slow swishing tail.

No translucent figure causing trouble or spreading gossip or spinning in happy circles.

No dramatic presence filling the space at all.

Boo wasn’t there.

Her smile faded slightly.

"Good morning," she said gently, stepping inside.

"Good morning, teacher," the class replied, though the energy was noticeably softer than usual, the words lacking their usual cheerful chorus.

Alina stepped further inside, placing her things down on her desk.

Her eyes moved across them again, more carefully this time.

"...Where is Boo?" she asked.

There was a small pause.

Luna glanced toward the window, then away quickly, her ears flattening slightly.

"...He didn’t come," she said casually, though her voice lacked its usual sharpness. There was no bite in it.

Kelpie looked up from the pebbles, a little worried.

"He was quiet yesterday," he added softly, his water droplets falling slower than usual. "Very quiet. Not normal quiet. Boo quiet."

Rocky nodded, holding his stone a little tighter against his chest.

"He said he was missing Drake," he murmured. "He said crime partner was gone and chaos was lonely."

Felix closed his book slowly, marking his page with a finger.

"He appeared... unusually subdued," he said carefully. "Which is statistically concerning. Boo has never been subdued. He does not know how."

Sable looked up at Alina with big eyes.

"Teacher," he said quietly, "ghosts don’t get sick, right? Like people get sick? Can ghosts catch cold?"

Alina’s heart softened at the question.

"No," she said gently. "Ghosts don’t get colds like we do. But they can feel things too. They get tired. They get overwhelmed. They get sad."

Lucien nodded thoughtfully.

"Then maybe he is just... not in the mood," he said. "Sometimes people are not in the mood."

The room fell quiet again.

Luna crossed her arms tighter, looking away toward the window.

"...He better come tomorrow," she muttered under her breath.

No one argued.

Vlad Jr. glanced at his notes, then at the empty corner, then back at his paper again, trying to stay focused. He adjusted his posture, straightened his collar, tried to look professional.

But even he seemed slightly distracted, his eyes drifting every few seconds.

Alina watched them all for a moment.

Yesterday had been missing Drake.

The loud dragon who filled every silence with arguments and questions and dramatic declarations.

Today...

It felt like something else was missing too.

Two of the loudest, brightest energies in the room were absent, and what remained was a soft, strange quiet that didn’t quite belong. The classroom felt like a puzzle with pieces missing.

She stepped forward slowly, her voice warm as she tried to bring the room back to life.

"Alright," she said gently. "Let’s start the day." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

But even as she spoke—

Her eyes drifted once more toward that empty space near the window, where Boo’s sparkly shirts usually caught the light, where his laugh usually echoed off the walls.

And her heart felt just a little heavier than usual.

But classes had to continue.

Alina carried on with the lessons as usual, guiding them gently through reading and writing, answering questions, keeping the rhythm of the classroom steady even though something felt slightly off. The children tried too. They listened, they responded, they behaved but the missing voices were noticeable in every quiet moment.

When Luna finished her work early, she didn’t start an argument with anyone. When Kelpie’s water splashed, there was no one to dramatically declare it a flood. When Rocky polished his stones, there was no ghost floating nearby asking if they were snack rocks.

The silences stretched longer than they should have.

When recess time came, Alina clapped her hands lightly.

"Alright, go outside carefully," she said.

The children slowly got up and began leaving. Kelpie followed Rocky, still talking about water patterns, but their voices were lower than usual. Luna walked ahead with her hands in her pockets, pretending she wasn’t looking back toward the classroom every few steps. Felix carried his book but didn’t open it. Lucien and Sable left together, Sable lightly holding onto Lucien’s sleeve.

Soon, the classroom was empty.

Alina stayed behind.

She stood quietly for a moment, her eyes drifting toward the empty spots—Drake’s seat with its slightly scratched desk from his claws... and the window corner where Boo usually floated and caused trouble and made everyone laugh.

She sighed softly.

Then picked up her phone.

After a brief pause, she scrolled through her contacts and pressed call.

The line rang lazily.

Once... twice...

Then—

"Hellooo..."

The voice dragged slightly, low and relaxed, like someone who had no intention of moving from wherever they were currently floating.

Alina blinked.

"Hello, am I speaking with Boo’s guardian?" she asked politely.