Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 100

 

The spots left by the civil servants were quickly filled by other people.

 

It seemed like they were trying to buy time until the A-grade Psychometry User or Representative Baek Cheonhyeong arrived.

 

‘Or maybe they’re too busy dealing with the guardians’ side.’

 

Perhaps because of that, the people who came claiming to conduct investigations were all inconsistent and somehow clumsy.

 

Starting from researchers on their third day of employment to low-level field hunters.

 

Like a relay race, when one person left, another would come in.

 

I observed their so-called ‘investigation’ of the children from the sidelines.

 

And the result was….

 

“This isn’t easy….”

 

“Thank you for your hard work.”

 

Complete failure.

 

They had no choice but to return without obtaining any clues.

 

‘Tsk tsk.’

 

The cause of their failure was clear.

 

First, they approached recklessly without properly assessing the level of their conversation partners.

 

 

Second, the children who had initially been purely innocent were starting to become wary.

 

 

Occasionally, there were people who tried to use shortcuts by asking me for help, but I deliberately acted as if I knew nothing.

 

A unilateral notification without any prior notice, and an indefinite waiting investigation without any proper explanation.

 

‘Go ahead and struggle to your heart’s content.’

 

Just then, I saw the tenth person coming in to receive the baton.

 

It was an employee with a worn and tired appearance.

 

The employee staggered in like a zombie, then spotted me and jumped in place.

 

?

 

Then they quickly put on a pitiful expression, sat next to me, shared coffee, and started chatting.

 

‘What kind of development is this now.’

 

Or maybe it’s a different investigation method.

 

Anyway, I decided to play along, thinking this was better than bothering the children.

 

Starting with simple introductions, the employee endlessly poured out complaints about life’s hardships and the damn company that destroyed work-life balance, and at the end, unexpectedly showed sympathy toward me.

 

“Teacher, you really…. You look troubled every time I see you.”

 

“…Do I?”

 

When had we ever met before?

 

Supervisor Park, who said she worked in the PR Team, sipped her coffee and smiled bitterly.

 

“Seeing you suffer like this, I can’t help but feel sorry. So, what I’m saying is…. I know I shouldn’t say this, but the company actually suspects the children’s guardians.”

 

“…!”

 

As expected, Yu Jin-chae’s thinking was right.

 

Certainly, that was a rational judgment the company could make.

 

Rather than the hard-to-believe circumstance that a ‘child’ stole the confidential data, the speculation that a ‘guardian’ was behind it and made them do it was more realistic.

 

“But everyone already has a vague idea of who the criminal is. Keeping the Ocean Kindergarten children here might really be… a meaningless act.”

 

What.

 

I stopped drinking my coffee and looked at Supervisor Park.

 

Not yet noticing my gaze, she continued speaking casually.

 

“They said four children visited the company on the day the confidential data was lost. Excluding the three here, there’s one remaining. That one person…. hasn’t been found yet.”

 

Right, that’s correct.

 

The secretary also said there were four, didn’t she?

 

“No one knows who it is, where they are now, or how they secretly entered the company that day. This was discovered by reviewing the company’s main entrance CCTV all night long.”

 

“Then….”

 

“Yes, everyone thinks that one child who hasn’t been found yet is the criminal.”

 

Good heavens.

 

“And please keep this between us, Teacher.”

 

Supervisor Park glanced around and whispered in my ear.

 

“This news just came in, but that one child was caught on CCTV entering through the Main Gate… but there’s no footage of them leaving.”

 

His voice sounded even more chilling.

 

“It means they might still be somewhere in this company right now.”

 

I reflexively turned my gaze to look out the window.

 

The sky had already grown dark.

 

***

 

What kind of sudden genre drift into horror thriller is this statement?

 

Evening with the sun completely set.

 

A spy hiding for over three days in a building where most employees are working overtime due to the company emergency.

 

It’s hard to determine which side would be more psychologically terrified.

 

‘Besides, is it really a child?’

 

What kind of child could hide in a company for over three days without being caught?

 

‘If I were a spy… I’d probably be crawling into some fire extinguisher box by now, clutching my hungry stomach.’

 

Of course, regardless of my dry observations, Supervisor Park was shuddering as if scared.

 

“Ugh… I just hope I don’t run into them while working overtime.”

 

“Wouldn’t there be a reward for catching them?”

 

“…Usually people worry about their safety rather than rewards.”

 

Is that so? Hmm…

 

“The Security Team and Field Teams hunters are constantly patrolling around here, so we’ll probably be fine.”

 

Well, danger doesn’t discriminate when it comes.

 

Just then.

 

“Teacher!”

 

Someone grabbed my shoulder from behind. I turned around to see Noah, his face flushed red from playing.

 

“I need to go to the restroom!”

 

Behind Noah, I could see other children waiting who also wanted to use the restroom.

 

When I deliberately looked back at Supervisor Park with a troubled expression, permission came easily.

 

“Oh… of course! You can go to the restroom!”

 

“Then, if it’s not too much trouble, could you accompany that girl to the restroom? You just need to go in with her.”

 

“Of, of course!”

 

Since it looked like every single one of them was going to go, I quickly left Seo-ra with Supervisor Park.

 

We left the Examination Room and walked down the hallway brightly lit with Fluorescent Lights.

 

At the end of the hallway, the men’s restroom and women’s restroom faced each other.

 

The boys and girls split up and went into their respective restrooms…

 

I waited quietly while the four children took care of their business and washed their hands in turn.

 

However, during this time, my gaze was fixed on one spot.

 

The last stall in the restroom.

 

Among the row of restroom stalls that were half-open, only the last one was tightly locked.

 

It wasn’t strange for someone to be in the restroom when everyone was working overtime.

 

But still…

 

‘Is it normal for there to be no sound at all?’

 

Only occasional rumbling sounds of a stomach ache could be heard.

 

“Teacher~ We’re all done washing our hands.”

 

“Good job, well done.”

 

I turned to leave the restroom with the children who had finished washing their hands. And after sending all the children outside… I turned back and approached the last stall in the restroom.

 

And immediately knocked.

 

-Knock knock knock.

 

“Is anyone in there?”

 

-Knock knock.

 

The knocking sound returned.

 

I asked without stopping.

 

“Is there some kind of trouble? Should I help you?”

 

“….”

 

This time there was no response.

 

I glanced at the floor. After confirming something I had suspected, I raised my fist and pounded on the door frantically.

 

-Bang bang bang!!

 

“There’s someone inside, right? Come out before I report this!”

 

The criminal is here.

 

That spy!

 

How can I be so certain?

 

Look at the floor.

 

There’s no shadow on the floor that anyone whose legs touch the ground would naturally have.

 

The shadow that shoes would create, I mean.

 

‘Then there’s only one thing it could mean.’

 

Someone so small that their feet don’t touch the floor.

 

In a situation like this… it makes it even easier to identify who’s inside.

 

“Come out. I’m going to report this right now.”

 

“….”

 

Even after I went this far, the fact that they remained silent was practically giving me confirmation.

 

I immediately took out my mobile phone to contact Lee Seo-hyeok, who I at least knew…

 

-Slam!

 

-Bang!

 

Patter patter patter.

 

They’re running away.

 

A child was running away on short legs after kicking open the Bathroom Door!

 

I put my mobile phone back and burst out of the restroom. Supervisor Park, Seo-ra, and the other children who had been waiting outside were startled by the two people who suddenly burst out of the restroom.

 

[ Me ] “I’ll catch them!”

 

“No-“

 

Just as I was about to stop them, Nabi, who had transformed into a child, leaped out of my arms.

 

Nabi runs to catch the other child who fled.

 

“Huh? Huh?”

 

Starting with Supervisor Park’s flustered voice.

 

“Nabi?”

 

“Running? Running! Yay~”

 

“Nabi, where are you going!”

 

Everyone started running.

 

The mysterious child and our kids instantly disappeared around the corner…

 

“Damn it.”

 

As soon as I realized the situation, I started running.

 

***

 

After a breathless, crazy chase.

 

Na Hwi-yeon succeeded in following the children’s trail at a surprisingly fast speed.

 

Finding the trail of the children who had suddenly disappeared midway through his sharp observation skills and calm judgment seemed like an incredible talent.

 

And beside him was Supervisor Park, whose hair was completely disheveled and who was panting as if his lungs would burst.

 

‘Have I ever run this much since I turned twenty?’

 

“Huff… huff…”

 

When he lifted his head with difficulty again, conscious of his buzzing head and thinking he had neither the stamina to run anymore nor the heart to be surprised.

 

Supervisor Park finally saw it.

 

4th Floor, Item Storage Warehouse.

 

The very place where the children had disappeared.

 

That heavily secured warehouse, said to contain dozens of items worth billions each, was burning….

 

“Kyaaaaaaah!!!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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