Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 61

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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 061

 

I’ve been bustling around since morning, working my eyebrows off.

 

What I mean by that is….

 

Starting from 7 AM at the crack of dawn, I began my morning by bringing balloons as big as Kwon Hae-seong’s head and artificial flower props to attach at the kindergarten entrance, kindly explaining to passing BOND employees what the heck we were doing.

 

“Wow~ It looks like there’s going to be a big festival at the kindergarten today. Can’t I report to work here today too?”

 

…I think he said he was Kang Ho-won from Field Team Na.

 

This guy sure has a lot of nerve.

 

“We’re holding a 2-day, 1-night overnight camp at the kindergarten today. Unfortunately, only children are allowed entry, so reporting to work here won’t be possible.”

 

“Teacher, I’m 36 months old at heart, so couldn’t you make an exception?”

 

A person over 180cm tall claiming to be 36 months old. He must have sold his conscience somewhere.

 

“No way. Go make money quickly.”

 

After sending away the dejected Kang Ho-won, I answered a few more curious employees before escaping from there.

 

I filled the water play pool with warm water for the morning activities and brought out all the water play equipment that had been stored in the storage room to the courtyard.

 

“Is only the treasure hunt left now?”

 

“Yes…. We decided to hold that at the nearby children’s park.”

 

“You haven’t hidden the notes yet, right? Then let’s go together and quickly hide them.”

 

“Yes, sounds good….”

 

After hiding the treasure notes with Kwon Hae-seong at the nearby children’s park and returning….

 

In the meantime, the other teachers would also prepare snacks and safety booths while welcoming the arriving children, roughly completing the necessary preparations for the morning events.

 

“Ta-da-da-da!! Who’s today’s star?”

 

Park I-deun put on pink heart-shaped sunglasses from who knows where and grabbed a microphone.

 

She loudly announced the start of the event.

 

I reluctantly put on the yellow lightning bolt-shaped sunglasses that Park I-deun handed me.

 

‘Why just you and me….’

 

She gave the other three fairly normal sunglasses.

 

“Come on! Children, let’s have fun playing today!!”

 

“….”

 

“Do you know what the teacher and I are supposed to be today?”

 

After shouting loud enough to be heard all the way to the main building, I heard a small whisper.

 

I looked up at Park I-deun standing on a small box with bleary eyes.

 

“…I wonder.”

 

“Clowns. Honestly, those people (Yu Jin-chae, Kwon Hae-seong, Kang Sa-gwa) are terrible at making others laugh. So today, when the children should be happy, we must definitely protect their laughter from those people.”

 

Wow, the intention is tearfully good. The intention is good, but….

 

“I don’t think the children will laugh at us. Instead…. I think we’ll definitely give other people some laughs.”

 

I could see employees holding paper cups gathered together at the windows of the main building across from us, standing and facing this way.

 

…They’re too far to see their expressions, but they seem to be laughing. Is it my victim complex?

 

“Huh? You’re right? Look, see? Our clown skills aren’t that bad!”

 

Park I-deun waved her hand toward the direction I pointed. I also waved along, having given up completely.

 

‘I don’t know anymore.’

 

Please don’t post this ridiculous appearance on the company intranet.

 

Still…. Being a clown for just today doesn’t seem too bad.

 

‘Most importantly, the kids look like they’re in good spirits.’

 

I can see excited and thrilled children. Just then, I saw the person who had occupied my worries yesterday running over with a bright face.

 

“Teacher! I brought my camera!”

 

Saying that, Seo-ra showed me the small digital camera hanging around her neck.

 

“Did you bring it to take pictures?”

 

“Yes! My older brother said I could take it!”

 

“Good job. For now, since we need to play in the water, I’ll hold onto it for you. Is that okay?”

 

“Yes! Please hold onto it and give it back to me later, Teacher.”

 

“Okay~ Go play quickly~”

 

“Yessss!”

 

Okay, that’s spirited. Their condition is very good.

 

I could see Seo-ra and Noah immediately grabbing water guns, and behind them, Tae-jae floating around the heated pool on a tube.

 

Seo-ro was drinking cool water while egging on Seo-ra and Noah’s water gun fight.

 

‘Wait, where’s Cheonji?’

 

I squinted my eyes and searched for Cheonji, who was nowhere to be seen.

 

Then I spotted Cheonji at the edge of the heated pool, splashing in the water with a serious expression.

 

His legs were frantically kicking back and forth like any excited child, but his eyes alone had as much charisma as any field team member.

 

…I picked up Seo-ra’s camera and took a picture of Cheonji like that.

 

‘What’s he thinking about? How cute.’

 

 

***

 

“Today is the day we sleep at kindergarten.”

 

“Oh, no wonder you looked so happy.”

 

Now in the car heading to kindergarten, Baek Cheonji’s heart was pounding with nervousness.

 

My goodness, a sleepover!

 

Sleeping outside the house had always involved a family companion. But this time, it was truly his own personal sleepover.

 

He needed to keep his wits about him and behave properly.

 

Baek Cheonji nodded while gripping his seatbelt tightly in the back seat of the car.

 

‘I packed my medicine well, and I’m not missing any luggage.’

 

Despite being born as a precious late-born junior member, Baek Cheonji had a strong sense of responsibility to live righteously.

 

That was probably due to being greatly influenced by his respected hyung who was much older than him.

 

‘Hyung said recently that I should spend productive days.’

 

After hearing those words, he had been pondering them for several days.

 

What kind of day would be a productive day?

 

Then after persistent contemplation… he found the answer.

 

‘Everyone has their own role.’

 

And his role at kindergarten could be called a ‘mediator.’

 

Baek Cheonji folded his five fingers one by one, reminding himself of what he needed to do today as a ‘mediator.’

 

One, monitor Noah and Tae-jae so they don’t cause trouble.

 

Two, stop Seo-ra and Seo-ro from fighting.

 

Three, don’t make things difficult for Teacher.

 

Four, eat well and sleep well.

 

Five… hmm, what else is there.

 

Just as he was racking his brain because he couldn’t think of the fifth thing to do, the driver in the front seat smiled and gave him a hint.

 

“Wow, you’re going to have so much fun today! I’m jealous~”

 

That’s right! Having fun is also something a ‘child mediator’ should do!

 

And currently, that resolution was being kept well as they safely passed through water play time, and treasure hunt time had arrived.

 

“What could the treasure be?”

 

“Nam Tae-jae, you don’t know what treasure is? It’ll be sparkling jewels or limited edition T-Bot dolls!”

 

“Jewels? I’m not really into jewels. Grandmother said the best things are ones you can stash away. Savings accounts, deposits, funds, stocks, things like that.”

 

“Savings accounts? Isn’t that all gold too?”

 

“…Is it? Then, did they hide gold?”

 

It seemed like Nam Tae-jae and Kim Noah were about to cause trouble again. Baek Cheonji quite sternly put his hands on his hips and warned them.

 

“You can’t go around digging up all the ground looking for gold. Got it? This is a place that all the residents use together.”

 

“Yes! Of course!”

 

“Got it~”

 

Phew… thank goodness. Baek Cheonji secretly wiped the sweat from his forehead.

 

I have to keep a close eye on Nam Tae-jae and Kim Noah because they cause trouble the moment I look away.

 

“Lee Seo-ra, give me the magnifying glass. That’s mine.”

 

“What do you mean yours and mine? I brought this from the playroom.”

 

“I put it on the desk first because I was going to take it.”

 

“I don’t want to! I was faster!”

 

“Give it back!”

 

The moment Seo-ro reached out his hand toward the magnifying glass that Seo-ra was holding, Baek Cheonji nimbly squeezed his body between them and blocked him.

 

“No. Don’t fight. This place is so big that we can’t find everything with the magnifying glass. And siblings should get along well.”

 

“…I don’t have a younger brother like this.”

 

“Me too! I don’t need an Older Brother like you either! From now on, Baek Cheonji is my Older Brother.”

 

…A younger brother like Seo-ra would be quite difficult.

 

However, Baek Cheonji nodded without showing his feelings.

 

Let’s accept it. Anyway, my role is to stop these two from fighting.

 

“…Alright, let Seo-ra be my younger brother. And if you don’t hurry up and find the Treasure Notes, Noah and Tae-jae will find them all.”

 

“That can’t happen! All the treasure is mine!”

 

“Hey, Baek Seo-ra, I’m going to find more treasure than you.”

 

Watching the twins run into the Grass Thicket, Baek Cheonji quietly let out a sigh.

 

As expected, Hyung seems amazing.

 

When it’s this difficult for him to fulfill the role of ‘children’s mediator,’ how does he manage to fulfill the role of representative of that big company?

 

A productive day.

 

Role.

 

Responsibility.

 

“It’s difficult…”

 

These were words that were far too difficult for 7-year-old Dolphin Class child Baek Cheonji.

 

 

***

 

The treasure hunt time had ended.

 

The protagonist who found the first place Prize Note was…

 

“Congratulations! Nam Tae-jae!”

 

Tae-jae stood on a small box, received the Candy Necklace, and bowed his waist.

 

“Please give us a word about your feelings.”

 

“Thank you for giving me the first place prize. It’s not a savings account, but I like it.”

 

Tae-jae received a Children’s Laptop equipped with the latest features along with his wonderful award.

 

Then, though it looked somewhat burdensome, he managed to return to where his friends were with the laptop tucked under his arm.

 

“Nam Tae-jae, I’m so jealous!”

 

“Come to our house and let’s play together.”

 

“Me too! Lee Seo-ra wants to go too!”

 

“Me too, I want to go with Baek Seo-ra.”

 

“Tae-jae, can I come to your house too?”

 

I watched the Children who were fascinated by the Children’s Laptop and then went inside the Kindergarten.

 

It was to prepare the sleeping area in advance.

 

There were still afternoon activities like dinner and stargazing experience left, but it was better to prepare in advance for a clean flow.

 

I entered the Dolphin Class, the widest classroom in the Kindergarten, with Park I-deun to prepare the sleeping area.

 

“Five from Dolphin Class~, two from Seal Class~, two from Shark Class~, that’s a total of nine Children.”

 

“Yes, the Teachers can sleep separately against the male and female walls.”

 

“I’m suddenly excited. This kind of experience is the first time since my college MT~”

 

Is that so? I can’t relate to that statement since I don’t have many good memories from group accommodation experiences.

 

…However.

 

“We’ll be able to see the Children’s real sleep talking.”

 

I was a little excited about this. I never got to see it because I eliminated nap time as soon as I became a teacher.

 

After all, children are the cutest in the world when they’re sleeping.

 

This is an undeniable fact.

 

“That’s right too~ Oh, right.”

 

Park I-deun, who had been carrying bedding, suddenly straightened her bent back as if something had occurred to her and whispered.

 

Her slightly slanted eyes looked mischievous.

 

“Teacher, do you happen to know about the ghost story circulating in our kindergarten?”

 

“…A ghost story in a kindergarten that was just established a year ago?”

 

Do ghost stories generate naturally that quickly? Don’t they need at least 10 years to develop?

 

“The Principal told us about it. Of course, that makes it somewhat less credible… Everyone thinks he just saw things after drinking somewhere, but the content is too plausible to dismiss it like that.”

 

“Is it a ghost story?”

 

“No. More precisely, it’s a story about this strange kindergarten building.”

 

Park I-deun deliberately hardened her expression and lowered her voice. I quietly listened to her words while holding a pillow.

 

The more I listened to the story, the more I thought:

 

‘I feel like I’ve heard this somewhere before…’

 

A kindergarten building that becomes strange at night. A ghost story about countless doors appearing along the hallway, each leading to different spaces that don’t exist in the kindergarten building.

 

It’s similar to typical backrooms ghost stories.

 

“As you know, anomalous phenomena are often discovered near Hunter Companies, right?”

 

“I’ve heard about that too. But I heard that discovering anomalous phenomena isn’t common.”

 

“Right, it’s not common. But it’s not something that never happens either.”

 

Anomalous phenomena caused by simultaneous ability usage by multiple Awakeners.

 

They’re mainly discovered near Hunter Corporations where Awakeners are densely concentrated.

 

Experts said it happens when Awakeners use multiple abilities simultaneously, causing frequencies to temporarily get tangled…

 

But the exact cause of these anomalous phenomena hasn’t been properly identified to this day.

 

However, what’s widely known is that these anomalous phenomena have low enough danger levels for ordinary people to handle, and there are typical escape and resolution methods.

 

‘I remember seeing a few escape and resolution methods spread around the internet like urban legends.’

 

“So I think the Principal’s story might not be complete nonsense. Of course, Jin-chae and Sa-gwa completely dismiss it as bullshit.”

 

The anecdote the Principal experienced was like this:

 

He said he drank as usual and fell asleep at the kindergarten.

 

But when he woke up in the middle of the night to go to the restroom, he opened what should have been the door to the restroom, but found a space that shouldn’t be there.

 

“He said it was the workplace he attended in his twenties. A workplace that had been closed for over 20 years was there exactly as it was.”

 

“…”

 

“The desk he used, the old computer that was only used back then, and he even saw the back of his company colleague’s head who died in an accident 10 years ago.

 

Then the atmosphere was so eerie and scary that he sobered up instantly and ran away from that spot immediately…

 

“Ever since then, even when the Principal drinks and sleeps, he wakes up like a ghost when quitting time comes, right? Seeing that, he must have seen something.”

 

“Would it be dangerous to enter that space?”

 

In movies, entering such places leads to either disappearance or death.

 

The Principal was lucky not to enter there. Anyway, his survival instincts are thorough.

 

“Hmm… I haven’t thought that far. And well, the Principal might have seen it wrong? Would we ever encounter such a thing?”

 

Hmm… Is that so? Well, I once almost mistook soap for rice cake and chewed it while drunk.

 

“But Teacher Hwiyeon, you’re not scared of this kind of story at all. Aw~ that’s no fun.”

 

“Nothing scares me except my bank account balance.”

 

“Wow.”

 

With those words, Park I-deun started moving again, so I too forgot about the ghost story.

 

And that night, I woke up to go to the restroom.

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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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