<Chapter 4>

I entered the classroom with a trembling heart.

“Wow.”

The herringbone-patterned wooden floor had a natural grain, and the walls were a pristine white.

The walls had a curved design, free of sharp edges, making them less painful if someone bumped into them.

The glass doors allowed a clear view inside, and the numerous windows let in plenty of sunlight.

In the center of the classroom sat a single round table, large enough for the children to gather around.

‘It feels a little empty.’

There weren’t even proper teaching materials yet. I hadn’t even begun setting up the classroom environment.

‘It’s fine. I’ll start by assessing the children’s level before moving forward with the lessons.’

The environment would gradually be filled with the children’s own work. There was no need to rush.

“First, I should focus on building relationships.”

Since the children hadn’t arrived yet, I took a look around the daycare.

There were extra classrooms, a second-floor auditorium, restrooms, and a cafeteria—all designed at the children’s eye level.

The only spaces meant for adults were the storage room, the teachers’ office, and the kitchen.

“Oh, Sora, you’re here.”

“Chef Jiho!”

As I passed by the cafeteria, Jiho stepped out.

He had dark brown hair, was tall and slender, and his slightly droopy eyes gave him a relaxed appearance.

“What brings you here?”

“Just looking around. But I think I need to remind you again—please call me ‘Ms’ when we’re in the classroom.”

“Oh, right. I forgot. I’ll keep that in mind, Ms. Sora.”

Jiho scratched his head awkwardly.

“Kids learn by watching how adults treat each other with respect.”

“But they’re not just kids… they’re aliens.”

“They’re not aliens, they’re another species.”

“Either way, I doubt they’ll be learning anything from us.”

Jiho pouted, clearly not enthusiastic about the ‘daycare project.’

“So, is the morning snack ready?”

“Yeah. I made boiled egg sandwiches. They can have them with milk. But I’m not sure if the kids will like them.”

“Wait… do we even have chickens here? I haven’t seen any.”

“There’s something that looks like a chicken. Let’s just call it an egg and leave it at that.”

His explanation makes me uneasy. Is it really safe to eat?

“The food here is so weird. The bread is rock-hard, and the vegetables are dry as dust.”

Jiho grumbled non-stop.

The ingredients were all there, yet the local cuisine wasn’t well developed.

This… this was a textbook cooking genre setup.

“By the way, where’s Sis Youngja?”

“Ms. Youngja went to pick up the kids.”

Jiho flinched as I emphasized ‘Ms.’

Well, I couldn’t blame him. Calling a fellow trainee ‘Ms.’ had felt awkward for me, too.

“I should head back to the classroom. It’s almost time for the kids to arrive.”

“Alright. See you later.”

I waved lightly and walked back inside.

The classroom was still empty.

“Hmm…”

Feeling restless, I stepped out to the entrance. It was just as deserted.

Why isn’t anyone here yet?

They are running really late.

“C-could there have been an accident on the first day?”

No way. That’s ridiculous!

But… after experiencing an entire bus getting transported to another dimension, I wasn’t so sure anymore.

Beep!

A bright honk echoed through the air. The bus had arrived.

“They’re here!”

Finally!

I tried to calm my pounding heart, but it wasn’t easy.

Through the bus window, I caught a glimpse of silver hair.

‘Ardishu!’

I recalled the portrait Eldic had sent me—a delicate girl with waist-length silver hair and lemon-colored eyes, like an angel.

‘I can’t wait to meet her!’

The bus came to a complete stop, and I waited for Ardishu to step out.

But…

“Huh?”

She just sat there, blinking, making no move to leave.

“Ahem. Sweetie, it’s time to get off.”

As Youngja-unnie approached, Ardishu scooted further into the corner of her seat.

“Come on, it’s time for daycare. Your teacher is waiting for you. Let’s go.”

Youngja-unnie’s voice was gentle, but her natural volume was loud.

‘She’s scared.’

Of course she was.

She’d just left the comfort of her parents’ arms and was thrown into an unfamiliar environment. Anyone would be nervous.

And on top of that, it wasn’t even her own kind—elves—that were waiting for her. Instead, she was greeted by strange ‘humans.’

“Uh, Ms. Sora, she won’t come out. What should we do?”

Youngja-unnie called out when she saw me.

I approached the bus, spotting Ardishu curled up through the window.

‘Just one… huh.’

It looks like the first semester in this world won’t be easy.

I carefully observed her. From her portrait, I’d expected her to be a miniature version of Eldic, but in person, I could see the differences.

Her eyebrows drooped slightly, and her eyes were filled with fear.

She clutched her bag tightly, as if it was her last lifeline.

“I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.”

I knocked gently on the bus window. The sudden noise made Ardishu flinch.

‘She’s sensitive to loud sounds.’

That must be why she wasn’t responding well to Youngja-unnie.

I waved lightly, making sure my movements were clear and easy to understand.

Ardishu lowered her bag slightly, revealing those beautiful lemon-colored eyes.

I pulled out the finger puppets I had prepared in advance—one resembling me, and another resembling Ardishu.

Her gemstone-like eyes sparkled with curiosity.

‘Good. She’s interested!’

I started a silent puppet show.

The puppets bowed to each other in greeting, then slowly approached, getting to know one another before dancing together.

‘Now for the next step.’

I slipped animal puppets onto my remaining fingers, gradually adding more characters to the scene. Soon, all ten of my fingers were covered in puppets, bringing the story to life.

As the performance grew livelier, Ardishu pressed her face against the window, completely absorbed.

Her eyes, once filled with anxiety, now glowed warmly—like sunlight.

Seeing her soft, bunny-like face light up with joy, my heart nearly exploded.

‘So cute! I just want to scoop her up and hug her… huh?’

Did my expression scare her? Ardishu suddenly hugged her bag tightly again.

I quickly adjusted my face.

‘She’s a shy child. I need to approach her slowly.’

I stepped onto the bus. Ardishu stiffened, keeping a wary eye on me. Moving at a gentle pace, I gave her time to prepare herself.

Little by little, the distance between us shrank.

“Hello. My name is Yoon Sora. You can call me Ms. Sora.”

“I’m Ardishu.”

“Ardishu. That’s a beautiful name.”

“Your name is beautiful too, Ms. Sora. But…”

Lovely lemon-colored eyes carefully studied me from head to toe.

‘Of course, humans must seem unfamiliar. Maybe I’m the first non-elf she’s ever met.’

I patiently let Ardishu observe me as much as she needed.

“Do humans grow gemstones?”

“Huh?”

“S-sorry if that’s a weird question!”

Startled by my delayed reaction, Ardishu glanced at me nervously.

Gemstones? What is she talking about?

I touched the tip of my ear where her gaze had landed and felt the cool metal there.

Oh. She’s talking about my earrings.

“It’s not a weird question. This is called an earring.”

I took one off and showed it to Ardishu.

“Isn’t it pretty? Humans wear jewelry on their ears for decoration.”

“I’ve never seen anything like that before. You must be rich. Ms. Sora.”

Children’s thoughts had a way of bouncing in unexpected directions. Like right now.

“I’ll make you a clip-on earring next time, Ardishu. I bet it’ll suit you well.”

I reached out my hand, and the child grasped it with her small, soft fingers.

‘Wow, even her hands are so soft and squishy, like little mochi.’

I wanted to try tying up her dazzling silver hair into twin tails, or maybe braiding it into an elegant updo, like a goddess. Even a cute little apple hairstyle would look adorable.

‘Every day after class, I’ll have the fun dilemma of deciding what hairstyle to give her next.’

Just imagining it made me happy.

“Are you hungry? Should we have a snack?”

“Sure,” Ardishu answered hesitantly. Her hand, still holding mine, felt slightly clammy with nerves.

Matching our steps, I walked with her toward the dining hall.

*  *  *

Her little hands clutched the sandwich tightly as she took small bites, her cheeks puffing up adorably.

Could there be a lethal dose of cuteness? If so, Ardishu is dangerously close to reaching it.

‘Oh no, my heart.’

I clutched my chest in urgency.

How could I be the only one witnessing this cuteness? It feels like a crime to let it go to waste.

‘But I am a person of indulgence!’

I made no effort to hide my goofy smile as I watched Ardishu eat.

Of course, it hadn’t started out this way.

Being the cautious child she was, she had simply stared at the sandwich for a long time instead of eating it.

So, I let her inspect it thoroughly, even going so far as to peel it open completely.

[“Ms. Sora?”]

[“Want to see what’s inside? This mashed part is potato, this is a boiled egg, and these thin slices are cucumber.”]

[“This looks like a cockatrice egg.”]

[“Cocka… what now?”]

[“A cockatrice. You know, the beast with a chicken’s body and a lizard’s tail.”]

Thanks to Ardishu, I learned what the egg truly was.

A cockatrice. A magical beast with a chicken’s body and a lizard’s tail… Apparently, its eggs were commonly used as an ingredient here.

[“The sauce is kind of runny.”]

[“Looks like they mixed in mayonnaise.”]

After carefully examining each ingredient, Ardishu finally picked up the sandwich with boiled egg—no, boiled cockatrice egg—and took a bite.

Her golden eyes widened, and from that moment on, she quietly munched away.

“It’s good.”

“I’m glad.”

“So, Ms. Sora, you should…”

I had been so focused on watching Ardishu that I completely forgot about my own snack.

“If you don’t have anything to eat, you can have this…”

“No! It’s okay. I have my own.”

How sweet, trying to share her portion with me.

“You’re such a kind child.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“That’s a relief…”

Ardishu’s face, which had been tense all this time, finally brightened.

A professor once said that the difficulty level of managing a class was determined by luck. The key factor was which students you ended up with.

‘I worried for nothing. This actually seems doable.’

Looking back, I should have noticed it then.

The hesitation in her eyes, as if she didn’t truly want to share but felt she had to. The excessive relief in her expression after being called “kind.”

But at that moment, I was still just a clueless rookie teacher.

“If you’re done eating, shall we head back to the classroom? I’ve prepared a fun lesson for you.”

“Yes! I’ll do my best!”
 

<To be continued>

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