Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 62

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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 062

For dinner, Korean Lunch Boxes were served, which had almost no dislikes among people of all ages and genders.

“Ah~ I ate so well and I’m full~!”

“It was delicious… I think it was a good decision to leave dinner to the lunch box company.”

That’s right, isn’t it? We’re already busy enough preparing for the event, and we can’t call the Cafeteria Lady who’s on vacation.

If we want to survive until the afternoon, we need to spend this much money.

Nodding at Kwon Hae-seong’s words, we all went outside together.

Coming out to the courtyard, I could see a Small Astronomical Telescope that had been prepared in advance and Picnic Mats spread around it.

‘This is more serious than I thought?’

Since the stargazing experience wasn’t my responsibility, I didn’t know how it would proceed.

“Um, who brought the telescope with an Optical Tube worth 5 million won?”

“Teacher I-deun did. Teacher I-deun’s hobby is stargazing~”

Just then, I saw Park I-deun cheerfully adjusting the Cylinder attached to the telescope.

‘There really are people who buy that stuff.’

I had used a telescope of the same brand in the astronomy club I joined in High School.

I still vividly remember trembling as I touched it because they said the Optical Tube alone cost over five hundred thousand won…

Meanwhile, Park I-deun had finished adjusting the telescope’s angle and was showing the Children the moon and celestial bodies floating in the sky.

I sat on the Picnic Mat with other Colleagues and peacefully watched the scene.

“I-deun Hyung… looks excited.”

I nodded slightly at Kwon Hae-seong’s murmur with his more relaxed eyes.

Although Park I-deun usually went around smiling cheerfully, this was the first time I’d seen such a face.

A face excited like a child.

It made me realize after a long time that Adults could make such expressions too.

Before I knew it, Park I-deun, who had completely entrusted the telescope to the Children, returned to the Picnic Mat.

“It looks like an expensive telescope, but is it okay for the kids to touch it freely?”

Under the pitch-black sky, Park I-deun nodded as if it were natural after hearing my question. Behind him, the bright moon appeared and disappeared.

“Of course, the experience of seeing space at that age is more valuable than that telescope, so it’s fine.”

…That’s a wise saying. How does one think like that.

After Park I-deun sat down, I could see the Children playing with the telescope.

They quietly brought their eyes to the Eyepiece, then looked up at the sky again and chattered among themselves.

“Is that the moon?”

“Wow… It’s pretty…! So Tosik went there.”

“It looks like there’s nothing there. Isn’t Tosik going to starve on the moon?”

I brought my knees together and comfortably rested my face on them.

The air had become much cooler than during the day.

The minimal lighting for stargazing and the time just before falling asleep.

Isn’t this the perfect moment for people to become soft.

Just then, Park I-deun made a good start.

“It’s already been over a month since Teacher Hwiyeon joined the company.”

I slowly opened my closed eyes and replied gently.

“Yes… It’s already been that long.”

A month.

Maybe it’s because I’ve experienced so many ridiculous things from the moment I joined. It feels like more than a year has passed.

“It’s been more than a month since Teacher Hwiyeon came, so shouldn’t we really have a company dinner now? Do you know how worried we were that you might quit?”

That sound came from Yu Jin-chae, who was lying sprawled on the floor. But that seemed to be a bombshell statement.

“Sister! How could you say that!”

“…Noona, we should keep that between ourselves…”

“Jin-chae did wrong with this.”

I looked around at them, who seemed flustered. What did Yu Jin-chae say again.

They were worried I might quit?

Who? Me?

“Were you worried I might quit?”

“Oh my, to be precise, it was these two. Teacher Hae-seong and Teacher Sa-gwa were in a frenzy~ Even though I told them there’s absolutely~ no way you’d go crazy over money, they didn’t believe me at all.”

…It’s true, but somehow it feels oddly unpleasant.

“I’m not quitting.”

Quit, what nonsense.

Since I’ve started working here, I plan to stick it out for at least a year no matter what.

And there aren’t many workplaces in the world where a newcomer gets five hundred a month.

‘I need to endure as long as I can.’

But somehow the reaction to this obvious answer was tremendous.

“R-really??”

For Kang Sa-gwa to have such an intense reaction.

“Thank goodness. Really thank goodness. Wow, really thank goodness. Truly thank goodness. Thank you, God….”

Kwon Hae-seong clasps his hands together and mutters like a ghost.

‘Park I-deun…. This guy is just smiling.

I chuckled in disbelief, then suddenly tilted my head at a question that came to mind.

“But…. why did you give me the cold shoulder?”

Why did you all give me the cold shoulder?

If you were worried I might quit? Could it be…. are you perverts? Want to hold onto me but also want to torment me?

Then suddenly, Yu Jin-chae, who had been lying down, sat up in shock.

“What? We did? When?!”

“…The atmosphere wasn’t great when I first met you, and you suddenly started awkwardly taking care of things for me or watching my reactions.”

“That was! At first…. we thought you’d quit soon like other people, and wait, taking care of you seemed like giving you the cold shoulder too?”

When someone who didn’t act that way suddenly starts watching your reactions and taking care of you, don’t people usually think that way?

So…. none of that was giving me the cold shoulder?

I looked around at the people sitting there in a somewhat dazed state.

What stupid expressions.

…No, it really wasn’t giving me the cold shoulder?

All of this was just my misunderstanding.

Park I-deun observed my expression, then spoke with a bitter smile.

“…How immature must we have seemed for you to think that way.”

While the children were busy looking at the stars, the adults were busy clearing up long-held misunderstandings and letting out gasps of shock and sighs.

***

“Teacher.”

“….”

“Tea…. Teacher.”

“…Cheonji?”

It was the middle of the night. Looking at the window, I could see it was still pitch black outside.

I shook off my drowsiness and looked at Cheonji, who was kneeling quietly.

What’s going on at this hour?

“I need to go to the restroom….”

Ah, the restroom.

“Alright, let’s go.”

I took the child’s hand and left the Dolphin Class room. Until just before closing the door, I could see everyone sleeping.

“You did well waking me up. It’s too dark to go to the restroom alone.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Walking through the dark hallway, I looked down at Cheonji.

‘I haven’t really interacted much with Cheonji.’

Cheonji was more mature than other kids his age. He came prepared for everything and listened well.

What you’d call a model student type.

He was similar yet different from Tae-jae, who had a Cheonghak-dong style of subtly causing trouble.

‘Come to think of it, what was Cheonji’s ability again?’

So far, the only children’s abilities I’ve confirmed with my own eyes are the twins’ and Noah’s.

If my memory is correct, Tae-jae and Cheonji are…

Ah, I remember Cheonji now.

[Baek Cheonji]

-Age: 7 years old

-Grade: Estimated A+

-Ability: Support-type Awakener (Ability Enhancement)

-Special Notes: No restrictions on targets when using ability (however, possible only under the assumption that remnants of Awakener or ability usage remain.)

※ Regular checkup: Once a month. (Drug treatment recommended due to unstable frequency)

Right, it was an incredibly rare ability.

Simply put, it’s a kind of supporter role that maximizes the effects when other Awakeners use their abilities nearby.

However, this applies not only to Awakeners but also to potions and items.

…I can picture it.

The scout offers that will come flooding in like waves from the moment this child becomes an adult.

Even aside from the difficulty in controlling abilities due to unstable frequencies, he would be a talent hard to let go.

‘Frequency instability can get better with age anyway.’

I quietly waited until Cheonji went to the restroom and finished washing his hands.

Standing alone in the dark hallway, I found myself continuing the worries and thoughts I’d had in the morning.

‘While I’m at it, should I check the children’s status windows too?’

Since joining the company, I’d been unintentionally using abilities I’d left dormant for years.

Of course, I still avoid using skills related to commands or education whenever possible because I don’t like using abilities on people…

‘But looking at status windows might be necessary.’

There was something I realized after experiencing the incident where Seo-ra nearly died.

‘The thought that perhaps it was something we could have prevented in advance won’t leave me.’

It’s uncertain whether Nabi will continue to share the skill called ‘Arrival’ to warn me of danger whenever the children are in peril.

But now that I know there’s another danger called Second Awakening, I can’t just pass through ignorantly without any safety measures like last time.

In that case, I should make the most of what I have.

“Let’s wipe your hands once more with a handkerchief.”

I wiped Cheonji’s hands with a handkerchief as he came out of the restroom and called up his status window.

‘Excessive role obsession and performance obsession?’

My confusion at the unexpected status abnormality was brief.

Suddenly, I realized that the emergency light at the end of the dark hallway, which had been the only source of light, was no longer in my field of vision.

I straightened my bent back abruptly. My survival instinct sensor must definitely be installed in my spine now.

As I turned my head, I immediately saw it…

A long, long hallway in the dim darkness.

“…Teacher?”

And I saw doors.

Countless doors leading to who knows where.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Jackpot.

It seems like I, no, we’ve hit the jackpot on the ghost story that Principal bastard mentioned.

***

Actually, this phenomenon reminiscent of the Backrooms is famous enough that escape methods accompanied by experience stories are already available on the internet.

Upon discovery, just find and enter the single door that leads to reality, and it’s over.

Moreover, except for the single door leading to reality, all the other doors were merely decorative fixtures attached to the walls.

In other words, when you open a door, unless it’s the correct answer, you just face a wall, making it impossible to find wrong answers.

However, an unexpected problem arose here…

This kindergarten teacher, dropped in the middle of the phenomenon, only knew about the phenomenon’s stability and simple escape methods…

They have no idea about the detail that the remaining doors are nothing more than decorative pieces stuck to the wall.

And unfortunately, one of the kindergarten students clinging to this kindergarten teacher’s side was an A-Grade Ability Enhancement Awakener who had forgotten to take their Wave Adjustment Medicine while playing with friends.

Thus… what was known to be a safe anomaly was silently creating real ghost stories.

Meanwhile, having no way of knowing this fact, I gripped Cheonji’s hand tightly, thinking of it as my lifeline.

‘First… it’s too dark.’

When I searched through my pants pocket, I immediately found something.

‘I brought this thinking it might be useful for recreation.’

It was something Yu Jin-chae and I had decided not to use after discussion.

…Do you perhaps remember?

The discarded products that Product Development Team Manager Lee Won-woo gave us on the day we went to BOND for our field trip.

I’ve already put several of them to good use.

‘Thank you, Won-gang Father.’

And I had brought one of those discarded products today, thinking to use it for the event.

This is it.

A round, tuna can-shaped plastic item that fits in one hand.

I pressed the switch button attached to the center of the circular panel without hesitation.

‘I read through the tag manual completely.’

As soon as the button was pressed, the circular panel immediately began to inflate like a balloon. Then it gradually hardened…

It took the shape of a portable 3-stage rod about 30cm long. When I pressed the button at the bottom of the rod…

An tremendous light source burst forth from the light panel section at the top.

Simultaneously, the kindergarten hallway that had been shrouded in pitch-black darkness became incredibly bright.

The reason we weren’t going to use this was because of this light.

‘This eye-blinding effect is no joke.’

Looking at it directly would temporarily blind you.

‘Can’t have the kids damaging their eyes…’

Instead of the hallway’s appearance that now resembled something from a ghost story, I stared at the corridor where only doors continued endlessly.

Ghost story? Anomaly?

Right now, there’s a 7-year-old child next to me who needs to go to sleep immediately.

This child not being able to sleep right now seems more like a ghost story to me.

‘Well, it’s bright now.’

Whether it’s a ghost story or an anomaly, let’s deal with it quickly and get some sleep.

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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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