<Chapter 29>

“That’s such a fitting name for kids.”

Lian, who had been sitting so quietly he could’ve gone unnoticed, finally spoke in a serious tone. Jiho, seated beside him, clapped and agreed that it suited them well.

But what mattered most was how the children reacted.

“Why are we called the Sprout Class?”

“Because you were born with strong life force and endless potential, just like a sprout.”

I bent down and gently tapped a tiny sprout peeking out from between the rocks. A droplet of water rolled down its leaf.

“I think that kind of sprout suits us perfectly.”

“It’s such a cute name. If we grow bigger, will we become the Bud Class?”

“I like that idea.”

Ardishu seemed pleased and murmured “Sprout Class” softly under her breath.

“Yeah, that’s a good one.”

“From now on, I’m going to write ‘Sprout Class Valentin’ on all my stuff.”

Thankfully, Paul and Valentin liked the name too.

“But don’t you think it leaves out the merfolk?”

That objection came from Brix, who crossed her arms and frowned. I quickly waved my hands to reassure her.

“But sprouts grow in water too. It’s called hydroponics.”

“Hydro-what?”

“Hydroponics. How about we grow sprouts that way? I’ll ask a farmer friend to teach me.”

“If it’s not a name that excludes the merfolk, I can accept it.”

Brix lifted her chin like she hadn’t just complained a minute ago.

“Wait. What about you, Teacher? We haven’t seen your drawing yet. I’m curious…”

“Hehe. I drew all my little sweethearts.”

At Ardishu’s prompting, I finally revealed my drawing. It had everyone—me, Ardishu, Paul, Valentin, Brix, Jiho, and Lian—sitting by the lake.

“This is a secret just for you guys, but I’m going to cut this picture up.”

I mimed cutting with my fingers.

“Gasp. Why?”

“Because I’m turning it into a puzzle.”

Since we came on a picnic, I thought it’d be nice to make a souvenir we could keep in the classroom. A framed picture would be fine, but a puzzle they could actually play with felt more special.

“I’ll do it every day.”

“Me too.”

“If it’s waterproof, I suppose I could try it once.”

The kids were already excited.

* * *

While everyone was focused on the puzzle, Paul was hiding behind a tree, sneaking glances at Lian.

“How long are you planning to stand there?”

Paul jumped in surprise. He was sure he’d hidden himself perfectly.

“What’s your deal? Why are you even here… and…”

Paul looked Lian up and down. It bothered him that Lian’s pupils were normal and round instead of the distinctive slits dragons usually had.

Polymorphed to hide both his tail and wings, Lian looked completely human.

“…going so far as to hide that you’re a dragon. Don’t tell me you want to become human?”

In fairytales, mermaids had to give up their voice to become human, but dragons didn’t have that kind of restriction. All it took was a bit of magic.

“Let’s just say it’s a dragon’s pastime.”

“Weird. Suspicious. Totally bizarre.”

“Your vocabulary has grown a lot since you started preschool.”

“Don’t treat me like a kid.”

Paul pouted.

Just then—

SPLASH!

Water sprayed everywhere as Brix dove into the lake.

Lian instantly cast a barrier to block the splash.

“Thank you, Lian.”

“……”

“Paul. Come on over. We’re about to play Red Light Green Light. Brix, hurry too.”

At Sora’s call, Paul ran over without hesitation. Her games were always fun.At Sora’s call, Paul ran over without hesitation. Her games were always fun.

“Red light, green light.”

“Ah. Teacher, you said it faster that time. No fair.”

“Hehe. Gotcha, Ardishu. Come here.”

Lian stood off to the side, quietly watching her play with the children. He noticed her bright smile, the way her brown hair bounced each time she turned her head, and the energy with which she chased after the kids…

He took it all in silently.

* * *

A cool breeze blew through. The kids, worn out from running, flopped down on the mat.

It was the perfect time for a nap.

Once the quiet settled in, their eyes began to flutter closed one by one.

“Perfect timing. I have an important announcement.”

Jiho’s voice turned dramatic. He raised a tumbler in one hand.

“What is it?”

“I made coffee. Didn’t you say you missed it the other day?”

“You liar. You said Kimbap Nation had no coffee.”

At this point, Jiho really was starting to feel like the main character of a cooking fantasy novel.

Seeing coffee again brought back vivid memories of those school mornings that always began with a cup.

‘Especially during finals. I practically lived on coffee.’

Just one bitter sip had powered me through so many hard days.

“Have a cup too, Lian.”

“Sure.”

While the kids napped, the three of us clinked our tumblers together. To an outsider, it might’ve looked like we were sharing wine.

“This is the taste.”

Happiness spread through me the moment the coffee touched my tongue. Jiho would’ve made an amazing barista.

But then—

Rustle.

A tiny face peeked out.

“What’s that? Why are you drinking it without us?”

“I’m curious too.”

“Let me offer tribute to that beverage.”

“M-me too, please…”

Though they’d all been lying down just moments ago, the kids had mysteriously gathered around us, starting with Paul.

“Nope. This is a grown-up drink.”

“Chef Jiho, wait.”

That phrase was like magic, instantly inflating the kids’ curiosity a hundredfold.

Sure enough, their eyes lit up with mischief.

“What… What are you—”

By the time Jiho realized, it was too late.

“I’ll be the distraction.”

SPLASH!

Brix kicked things off by leaping into the lake again, sending water flying everywhere.

“Ugh.”

“Now.”

Paul tossed bat-form Valentin at Jiho. Jiho instinctively caught him, which made him drop the tumbler.

“Nooo.”

I lunged for the tumbler—

“Sorry, sorry, sorry.”

—but Ardishu crashed into me, and I missed it.

“The grown-up drink is ours now.”

Paul held the tumbler high, and the kids swarmed him, eager for a sip.

“Sorry. I failed to protect the coffee.”

“It’s okay. At least it wasn’t alcohol.”

I shook my head at Jiho’s comment, and we both sighed.

Truthfully, we could’ve stopped them if we really wanted to. But we didn’t. Because…

“Ugh. It tastes awful.”

“So bitter…”

“I guess it’s called a grown-up drink because only grown-ups like it.”

Exactly what I expected.

The kids looked thoroughly betrayed.

“As expected of an adult beverage. But I like it.”

“Good. Have some more, then.”

Brix probably just wanted to act cool, but now that Paul had challenged her, she couldn’t back down.

“……”

Her confident expression wavered. Still, not wanting to lose, she chugged the rest.

Even kids’ pride battles were no joke.

“Is there something wrong with that drink?”

“Just watch, Lian. You’ll see.”

And sure enough, he did.

The kids began running around the lakeside like they were on fire. It was hard to believe they’d been half-asleep moments ago.

Their eyes sparkled brighter than ever.

“Now’s the time to burn off that energy.”

So we launched into the Millennium Calisthenics.

“One two. Three four.”

It was more intense than our usual dance routines, but the kids weren’t even a little tired. The power of caffeine was terrifying.

But in the end, exercise beat caffeine.

As planned, all the kids fell fast asleep on the ride back to daycare.

The only problem was… I fell asleep too.

I’d made sure everyone was buckled in safely, then I dozed off…

“Hmm?”

Across from me, Lian was watching.

When our eyes met, his purple gaze widened. There was something familiar about the way he looked at me. Then he turned his head.

For some reason, I felt disappointed. So this time, I stared at him instead.

Eventually, he turned back toward me.

“……”

I was the one who started the eye contact, but now that he was looking at me, I felt nervous for no reason.

I should just say something to break the silence.

“Thanks for your help today.”

“I didn’t really do much.”

“Even having one more adult around on a field trip is a big help. You never know what might happen, especially since lakes can be dangerous…”

As I kept talking, Lian let out a small laugh.

“I’m serious. What if someone fell in? That’d be a huge accident.”

“Someone did fall in. Brix.”

“Brix didn’t fall in. She jumped in on purpose… Oh? You know the kids’ names?”

That caught me off guard. I thought he didn’t get involved and just referred to them as the mermaid or something like that.

“I am the director, after all.”

“Right. Of course. Oh. Since we’re on the topic, I need to submit a few more supply requests. We’re running low on materials for crafts…”

“Oh, I think I need to submit one too.”

As soon as I brought up supplies, Jiho jumped in.

“How about you start taking your director duties more seriously? Like cover for my mistakes, or recruit new students.”

“We should upgrade the kitchen too.”

“Ahem. Should I ask for something while we’re at it?”

Even Youngja-unnie, who had been quietly focused on driving, chimed in. Unlike the ride to the lake, the way back was full of adult chatter.

“Submit a detailed list of everything you need.”

Lian handled the wave of requests without blinking. He really had gotten used to the noise of this daycare.

‘Makes me proud.’

I smiled without even realizing it. This picnic had made us feel like one big family.

Our first field trip, and the memories we made together, had come to a beautiful end.

* * *

Ever since the trip, the kids had become more curious about water. So, riding that momentum, I decided we’d build a big pool on the daycare grounds.

The MVP? Definitely Paul. He transformed into a dragon and dug the ground in no time.

“Now we fill it with water.”

“Not yet. If we do that now, it’ll turn into muddy water.”

Valentin’s face turned serious.

“Muddy water will cause boo-boos.”

“I refuse to swim in dirty water. Bring me water fit for someone of my rank.”

Brix spoke with her usual haughty tone.

“Of course. We can’t have our princess swimming in mud.”

“Exactly. That would totally disqualify you as a prince, you know?”

Apparently, I was still her human prince. Honestly, I didn’t mind keeping that role a bit longer. It helped her listen to me better.

“So. Today’s lesson is… Mud Play. Let’s go find some mud.”

“Mud?”

The kids looked at each other, confused. We were building a pool, so what did mud have to do with it?

“Yep. It’s essential. If we don’t coat the bottom, the water will get dirty.”

“But dirt and mud are the same.”

“Not quite. We’re going to make something with that mud.”

“What are we making?”

“Hehe. That’s still a secret. Just follow me.”

I handed out plastic overalls, made sure they had hats on, and slipped rubber boots onto their feet.

We were ready for anything.
 

<To be continued>

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