<Chapter 25>

“Let’s set that aside for now.”

I decided to focus on my priorities first.

“Ardishu is the Elf leader’s little sister. Paul is one of only nine dragons left in the world, and the Dragon Lord himself is his guardian. Valentin is the son of the Vampire King. No one here falls short of your bloodline.”

“I’m aware.”

At my words, Brix scoffed.

“Really? What I mean is, if you become the leader of your tribe someday, those kids might end up being either your enemies or your allies. That might depend on how you act now.”

“That’s…”

It looked like Brix accepted the explanation.

“Fine. I’ll allow you to be my friends. I’m not some uptight mermaid, you know.”

“As if. Who wants to be your friend anyway?”

“I’m not interested either.”

“Uh, umm… L-let’s be f-friends.”

Paul and Valentin responded sharply. Ardishu, however, was the only one who greeted Brix warmly. Maybe it was because they were both girls.

‘Oh my. This is going to be rough… really rough.’

Brix seemed used to leading and reigning over others.

She might rule her tribe well when she grows up, but fitting in with her peers would be another matter.

‘What Brix needs is social skills.’

Social skills aren’t just about getting along. To be part of society, you have to broaden your view and sometimes smooth out your edges.

Even without them, she might still become leader of the merfolk tribe, but…

‘Still, better a wise ruler than a tyrant.’

I refuse to let my student be impeached.

“Then, will you accept me as your teacher too?”

“……”

Brix didn’t respond right away. She stared at me, her eyes like gemstones, shining with something difficult to read.

Oh no. Looks like she’s going to reject me…

“Of course, you’re my teacher. Why else do you think I came here?”

That was unexpected. So even if she acts arrogant, she still acknowledges me?

“Not that it matters. You’re still a zero-point teacher.”

“…Haha.”

This cold-hearted girl.

Still, I had to accept her honest assessment. I’d figured out Brix’s issue, but I still didn’t have a clear solution.

‘It’s not like social skills magically appear just because she’s placed among other kids.’

Even so, early childhood is the most important time to develop them. As her teacher, I couldn’t just stand by.

I tried to recall what I’d learned in my “Early Childhood Guidance” class.

‘To learn social skills… trial and error is essential, right?’

In short, she needs to experience things for herself and learn through doing.

The teacher’s role is to help the child reflect and provide emotional support.

‘Alright. Let’s give this a shot.’

Today’s goal: teach Brix how to play with friends.

* * *

Before starting the actual lesson, we had free play time.

“Brix, is there a friend you want to play with? Just pick one.”

“I refuse. Why would I bother…”

“That’s today’s lesson objective.”

“Hmph.”

Maybe she really did accept me as her teacher, because when I said it was part of the lesson, she looked around the classroom.

Ardishu was making clothes for paper dolls. Lately, she’d been really into dress-up play.

“That’s not up to my standards. So childish. Are all elves like that?”

Brix clicked her tongue and turned her gaze to Paul.

He was building a dragon out of blocks. He’d gathered all the purple ones he could find, and even wrapped other colors in purple origami paper when there weren’t enough.

“How about building a mermaid together?”

“Mm… no.”

This time, she didn’t even bother with a reason. Her eyes moved toward Valentin.

He was measuring nearby objects with colored pencils.

“The bookshelf is five pencils tall. The chair is three.”

“Surprising. A vampire doing something brainy. He’ll do.”

Having made her decision, Brix grabbed the edge of her tub and started rolling toward Valentin.

“Wait a sec.”

“Forget it. I’ll play with him real quick and come back. I’m a busy mermaid, you know.”

With that smug remark, Brix rolled the crystal tub in front of Valentin.

As the shadow fell over him, he turned his head and looked up, eyes silently asking what was going on.

“I was impressed by your crude measuring method. From now on, I’ll guide you. What you need for measuring is a tool called a—”

Just then, Valentin abruptly turned away. As if Brix weren’t even there, he began measuring the height chart on the wall with his pencil.

“Did you just turn away while I was talking? How dare you.”

“……”

“I said I’d help you. Join me.”

“I refuse.”

Valentin was firm. Brix bit her lower lip, trying to hold in her anger.

“You’ll regret missing this opportunity.”

But surprisingly, she didn’t lose her temper. She lifted her chin and rolled back toward me.

“Losing your temper doesn’t suit a noble mermaid.”

When our eyes met, Brix spoke defensively. She must’ve been hurt. Probably her first experience like this. I decided to comfort her.

“Forcing yourself to suppress your feelings doesn’t suit a child.”

“I’m not just a child.”

Brix seemed trapped by her role as heir.

She was broadly similar to Paul, but there was a clear difference in the details. Their paths were heading in different directions.

“So, why did you stop me earlier? You stopped me before I approached the vampire.”

“I was going to tell you how to play with friends.”

“Really?”

Her face instantly lit up. She looked so pretty when she smiled. But the moment I thought that, her expression returned to normal.

“I do have friends. Though I don’t know if they think of me that way.”

Her voice grew quieter as she tilted her chin in a small pout.

‘Because of her status, they probably assigned her playmates. But she’s never had a real friend.’

That last comment confirmed it.

Kids are sharp. They can sense right away if someone is being fake or genuinely likes them.

And from the way she reacted to learning how to play, it was clear. Brix did want to connect.

‘What fun is there in playing with someone who always says yes to everything?’

That probably hurt her development more than helped.

“It’s simple. Just go next to Paul and start building with the blocks.”

“Just like that?”

“Yup. Just like that. Don’t even say ‘let’s play together.’”

If you ask, there’s a chance you’ll be rejected. It’s the polite thing to do, but for someone like Brix, it’s better to just jump in.

“……”

With a reluctant face, Brix headed over. Paul glanced at her once, then went back to building.

“So this is… how you assemble them?”

Standing at the shelf, Brix started connecting blocks. Her chain kept growing. Then Paul spoke.

“Hey. Pass me that block.”

“Do you not have hands? Why are you ordering me?”

“Ugh, you’re standing in front of the shelf.”

“Oh.”

Snapping back at first, Brix then sheepishly moved the tub aside. The two of them quietly continued building.

“Hey.”

This time, Paul broke the silence. He walked over with a handful of blocks.

“Use these for the tail. That’s how you get the shape right.”

“Unsolicited meddling.”

“You’re supposed to say ‘thank you’ in situations like this.”

Ardishu, now casually part of the block team, whispered this to Brix.

Her lips moved several times before she finally opened her mouth.

“…Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Watching it all unfold made my lips curl into a smile.

‘Today, the easiest person to play with was Paul.’

Ardishu was focused on solo play. Valentin hated interruptions when he was concentrating.

Paul might be blunt, but he’s proud of being the best block builder. That’s why he doesn’t get annoyed as easily and even helps if someone’s struggling.

‘Just like now.’

And once two kids start playing like that…

“Hey, Paul. Can you help me make bunny ears?”

“Bring some pink blocks.”

“Okay!”

Others start joining one by one. Seeing how fun it looks makes them want in too.

Even Valentin, who had come close before, naturally slipped into the group.

“Paul’s dragon blocks are twelve colored pencils tall…”

Brix blended in well. Her expression looked brighter than before.

‘This is a good start.’

I rolled my shoulders, hopeful the momentum would carry into the next part of the lesson.

* * *

“Alright, everyone gather around. Today, I brought a special dice.”

I pulled out a giant handmade one and turned it slowly so the kids could see all six numbers.

“This dice comes with addition and subtraction cards.”

Next, I showed them the + and – cards. These were already familiar.

We’d been practicing simple math during snack time for a while.

[“Today’s snack is sour giant strawberries. Let’s see… there are ten. Ardishu, I’ll give you two.”]

[“I love strawberries.”]

[“So, how many are left?”]

The kids tilted their heads, thinking.

[“If you’re not sure, let’s count. One, two… eight.”]

Since abstract ideas are tough at this age, I’d used real items like snacks. It helped them get used to math without even realizing.

And today, I planned to raise the level a little.

“Valentin, come roll the dice.”

“Understood.”

Valentin came forward and rolled. First roll: two. Second roll: five.

“Want to pick a card too?”

“I’ll pick this.”

I subtly nudged the addition card forward, but he chose the subtraction one.

‘Oh no. That’s going to make a negative number.’

I was caught off guard, but stayed calm and wrote ‘2–5=?’ on the board. A part of me was curious how they’d respond.

“Thanks, Valentin. Now, who wants to try solving this?”

“It’s zero!”

Ardishu shot her hand up confidently. Too bad it wasn’t right.

“Why do you think so?”

“There are two strawberries. If you take away five, there aren’t enough. So there’s nothing left.”

That was actually a solid explanation.

“Hey, what about the missing three?”

“But there’s no more strawberries to take away…”

Losing confidence at Paul’s challenge, Ardishu looked to me for backup.

“Not quite the right answer. But your reasoning made sense.”

“Phew…”

She placed a hand on her chest, relieved.

“Then Paul, your turn. What do you think?”

“Three.”

“Why?”

“You can’t take five from two, so just take two from five instead.”

“A-ha!”

Wait, no, you can’t just flip the problem! And Ardishu, stop nodding!

Still, it was creative. It worked within their logic.

“Wrong. That’s incorrect.”

“Eh?!”

Paul and Ardishu looked shocked. Then Valentin raised his hand.

“The answer is debt. You borrow the missing three strawberries and subtract them. But the interest rate is…”

His voice started strong, then trailed off. At the word ‘interest,’ he seemed to hit a mental wall.

Wait, how does he even know what ‘interest’ is?
 

<To be continued>

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