Chapter 248: Chapter 249 Judge
Kelpie froze. His wide eyes filled with panic, his little mouth trembling. "I... I’m sorry..." His voice cracked, as though he were about to burst into tears.
Alina immediately crouched slightly to meet his eyes. "It’s fine, it’s fine. Carry on!" she said warmly, her smile steady.
Kelpie’s lips quivered before he nodded quickly. Taking a small breath, he wiped the board with his sleeve and carefully began to solve the problem again. When he finally wrote the correct answer, his whole face lit up in shy pride.
"Wonderful job, Kelpie!" Alina clapped her hands, beaming.
Meanwhile, Drake had his chubby cheeks puffed out as he leaned toward Boo, who was floating upside down near him. "We should’ve sent Kelpie first," he whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "That way, he’d splash the board and Teacher would be too distracted to make us do anything."
Boo’s silver lashes fluttered wide in realization. "You’re right! Next time Teacher asks for volunteers, we send Kelpie first!" he whispered back with dramatic importance, spinning slowly in midair like it was part of their evil plan.
Luna’s wolf ears twitched. Of course she had overheard. Even Rocky peeked from behind his sleeve, nodding seriously like he was part of the secret pact.
Alina, however, had no idea what plotting was going on. She simply clapped again and said cheerfully, "See? You’re all wonderful. Everyone knows how to solve problems now... except Boo."
Boo’s eyes went round. "Whaaat?! Boo is betrayed!" he cried, clutching his little chest and spinning upside down like a fainting ghost.
The classroom burst into laughter, even Kelpie giggling as he hurried back to his seat.
Alina rolled her eyes at Boo’s dramatics, then turned with a gentle smile. "Alright then... it’s Rocky’s turn."
The little boy froze, his stone-like markings shimmering faintly as if they wanted to turn him into a pebble right there. "M-me...?" he squeaked, pointing to himself with wide eyes.
"Yes, you," Alina said kindly, her voice soft but firm. "Come on, sweetheart. I know you can do it."
Rocky shuffled to the board with tiny steps, clutching the chalk like it was a sword he wasn’t trained to use. He glanced back at his classmates nervously, and immediately regretted it. Drake was already grinning like a mischievous dragon, and Boo was floating above his desk, mouthing "Be braveee!" like a dramatic cheerleader.
Taking a shaky breath, Rocky faced the numbers. His little hand trembled as he began to write. "T-two plus... three... equals..." He paused dramatically, tapping the chalk against his lip as though the answer were a great mystery of the universe.
Behind him, Drake whispered loudly, "Five! Five! Or was it six? No wait, maybe ten!"
Boo slapped his own forehead and groaned. "Don’t listen to him! He’s sabotaging you!"
Luna growled softly. "Quiet, both of you. Let him think."
Rocky’s cheeks turned pink as he slowly, very slowly, scrawled the number 5 on the board. He turned around immediately, clutching the chalk like proof of his survival. "It’s five... right?" His voice was so timid it nearly melted Alina’s heart.
"Yes, Rocky! Perfectly correct!" she clapped, her eyes warm.
The class erupted in cheers, though Drake made a show of fainting on his desk. "Woooow, my rock friend has brains too!" he wailed dramatically.
Rocky blushed so hard he almost looked like a glowing ember, then hurried back to his desk. As he sat, Boo patted him on the back with a ghostly hand. "See? You’re not just Rocky... you’re Rocky the Genius!"
The class giggled, and Rocky hid his smile behind his hands, though his twinkling eyes gave him away.
As Rocky sat down, still blushing but secretly proud, Alina clapped her hands. "Well done, everyone! You all solved today’s problems."
Before she could continue, Drake suddenly jumped up onto his chair, puffing out his chest like a tiny emperor. "Ahem, class! Today, I, Sir Drake the Judge, will now give out scores!" He waved his hand dramatically as though holding a royal fan.
The babies looked at him with wide eyes, half confused, half amused.
"Felix!" Drake shouted, pointing his finger at the fox boy. "You get... ten out of ten, because you solved fast! But minus one for smirking too much. Final score: nine!"
Felix rolled his eyes but smirked again anyway, which made Boo snicker.
"Sable," Drake announced, "you get ten out of ten for being brave! And also extra two points because you looked cute while solving!"
Sable’s ears went red as he buried his face in his notebook.
"Kelpie!" Drake continued with great seriousness. "You get... seven points. Minus three because you almost drowned the board with your splashes."
Kelpie pouted, water dripping from his fingers. "It was accident!"
"Accidents still count," Drake said with a sage nod, like a wise old dragon.
"Rocky!" he bellowed next, standing taller. "You get... eight points. Because you solved correctly! But minus two because you looked like you were going to turn into a pebble before writing."
Rocky’s face turned bright pink as the class erupted in giggles.
"Vlad Jr.!" Drake declared, pointing dramatically. "You get... eleven out of ten because teacher clapped very loudly for you. But minus one because you act like prince all the time."
Vlad Jr. raised his chin proudly. "A prince must always act like a prince."
Drake sighed as if that proved his point.
"And Boo..." He paused, looking at his ghostly friend. "Zero points. Because you didn’t even touch the chalk."
Boo gasped, clutching his chest like he’d been mortally wounded. "Zero?! Teacher! Did you hear?! This is injustice! I touched chalk!"
Alina laughed so hard her shoulders shook. "Drake, who made you the judge?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.
Drake puffed his cheeks. "No one! I made myself judge because I’m the smartest dragon here!"
Lucien, who had been quiet the whole time, looked up from his seat with a calm expression. "Then why did you hide under your desk when teacher called names?"
The class erupted into loud giggles, and Drake’s face turned crimson. "T-that was strategy! Every judge needs strategy!" he shouted, but no one was listening anymore.
Even Alina had to wipe tears of laughter from her eyes. "Alright, alright," she said, still chuckling, "Judge Drake’s scores are noted."
When the bell rang again, Alina didn’t even need to announce the next class. Chairs scraped, little feet pitter-pattered, and wings, shadows, and tails all rushed toward the door. It was PE time, and clearly, they had been waiting for it all day.