Chapter 247: Chapter 247 Smart Babies
"No, no, you’re supposed to solve the math problem," Alina explained gently, pointing to the numbers she had written.
Boo tilted his head and then added under his writing:
2 + 2 = BOO
The classroom erupted into chaos, everyone laughing so hard that even Vlad Jr. had to hide his smile behind his hand.
"You’re hopeless!" Luna groaned, smacking her forehead, though her tail swished with amusement.
Drake was rolling on the floor, clutching his belly. "Best answer ever! Boo wins! Teacher, give him full marks!!"
"Full marks!! Full marks!!" Boo chanted happily, spinning in the air like a disco ball.
Alina sighed, shaking her head, though her smile was warm. "Alright, Boo... you get full marks for creativity. But next time, you must solve the problem correctly."
Boo twirled again, proud as a king. "See? Boo told you, Boo is genius!"
The class cheered, their laughter still bubbling through the room, and Alina let out a soft laugh of her own. She couldn’t even be mad. How could anyone scold such a mischievous little ghost?
Alina scanned the room, pretending to ignore the loud calls, but the two boys wouldn’t let it go.
"Teacher teacher Luna Luna!!!" Drake shouted again, bouncing in his chair, his dragon tail flapping excitedly.
"Yessssss yesss Luna Luna!!!" Boo echoed, twirling in the air and kicking his little ghost legs as if cheering at a festival.
Luna’s golden-brown eyes narrowed dangerously. She stood up slowly, her braid swishing behind her like a warning flag. "If you two don’t shut up," she growled, her small claws peeking out, "I’ll personally make sure you regret it."
Drake ducked under his desk with a squeak, covering his head dramatically. "Teacher! Teacher! Save me! The wolf is going to eat me!"
"Eat you? Hmph. Don’t flatter yourself," Luna said, crossing her arms, though her ears twitched in amusement.
Meanwhile, Boo was still spinning in the air. "Luna Luna Luna!" he chanted, unfazed by her glare.
With a sudden jump, Luna swiped at him mid-spin, and Boo yelped, floating higher to escape. "Aaahhh, the wolf is hunting me! Emergency! Boo needs backup!" he cried.
The whole class burst into laughter, Rocky even rolling halfway off his chair.
Alina clapped her hands with mock sternness, trying to stop herself from giggling. "Alright, alright, settle down! Since everyone seems to want Luna so badly..." she paused dramatically, her eyes landing on the wolf pup, "...Luna, your turn."
The classroom erupted again, half with laughter, half with cheers, while Luna groaned loudly, muttering, "I’ll get you all back for this."
She stomped toward the board, tail flicking like an annoyed cat, while Boo sang a silly little song from above. "Luna Luna doing math~ Luna Luna doing math~" until Alina finally flicked her chalk at him to quiet him down.
Luna stomped to the board, her hand clicking softly against the chalk as she scrawled out the answer.
She solved it correctly but slammed the chalk down a little harder than necessary, shooting a glare at Drake and Boo on her way back to her seat.
"See? Done. Happy now?" she muttered, folding her arms and flopping into her chair furiously.
Drake peeked out from under his desk, wide-eyed. "Wow... she survived."
"Barely," Boo whispered dramatically, spinning upside down as if he were fainting. "I thought the math would eat her."
Luna growled softly, making Boo flip higher into the air, squealing. The class giggled until Alina cleared her throat, lifting the chalk again.
"Alright, enough teasing. Since you were all shouting his name earlier..." Her gaze swept slowly across the room before settling on the vampire boy. "Vlad Jr."
The children turned curiously, and Vlad Jr. straightened in his seat as if summoned by destiny itself.
"Come, Vlad Jr. I believe you can do it," Alina said warmly, her voice steady with trust. At her words, the little vampire prince lifted his chin, pride glinting in his crimson eyes.
The other babies looked over as Vlad Jr. rose from his seat with regal grace, as if the very act of walking to the board was beneath him but worth doing because his teacher had asked. His pale fingers curled delicately around the chalk, and with a confident flick, he faced the problem on the board.
He didn’t hesitate. With one neat stroke after another, he wrote:
20 × 30 = 600
Then he stepped back, crossing his arms behind him like a noble delivering a decree.
Alina’s face lit up. "GREAT!!!" she exclaimed, clapping loudly. Her eyes sparkled with happiness.
The classroom buzzed with noise.
"Woahhh!" Drake gasped, his amber eyes wide. "He actually did the hardest one without mistake!"
Boo floated up, twirling in disbelief. "A prince who can count?! Boo’s world is shaken!!"
Luna rolled her eyes but smirked. "Hmph. Show-off."
Rocky peeked up shyly. "I... I couldn’t have done that one..."
Vlad Jr., however, turned his head with quiet dignity. "Of course you couldn’t. But worry not. Not everyone is destined for greatness."
Drake nearly fell off his chair laughing, while Boo clutched his belly in the air. "He sounds like my elder ghost!!!"
Alina laughed too, covering her mouth. "Well done, Vlad Jr.," she said softly. "You made me proud."
For a moment, his princely mask cracked. His crimson eyes flickered with warmth, and the corners of his lips twitched into the faintest, shyest smile, quickly hidden as he straightened again with exaggerated composure.
"I shall go to my desk," Vlad Jr. said quickly, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeves before striding back with princely dignity.
"Okay, who is next?" Alina asked, giggling as her eyes swept the room.
"Teacher, teacher! Rocky and Kelpie are the only ones left!" Drake shouted like he was announcing breaking news.
"Kelpie, come here!" Alina said with a kind smile.
The little kelpie shuffled forward, cheeks pink as he picked up the chalk. He looked up at her once, and when she gave him an encouraging nod, his nervous fingers twitched. A faint splash of water slipped from his hand and sprayed across the board, making the numbers drip like they were melting.