Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 98

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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 098

 

At the time when Na Hwi-yeon was still hitting the calculator with his head while listening to the BOND employee’s explanation.

 

Kwon Hae-seong was wiping his two sweat-soaked palms on his apron.

 

A strange and terrifying sensation, different in meaning from the psychological chills felt at dangerous field sites.

 

That sensation was creeping up through his entire body.

 

“….”

 

He naturally turned his head toward the learning board. And then, as much as possible… he proceeded with the lesson while pretending to be as calm as possible.

 

“Today we’re going to learn about addition…”

 

His hands steadily moved the number cards and addition cards.

 

However, his inner state was indescribable.

 

‘Why?’

 

No, how…?

 

How could there be 7 of them?

 

No matter how many times he counted, the result was the same.

 

7 children.

 

However, Seo-ro’s figure was nowhere to be seen among them.

 

At this point, Kwon Hae-seong felt a strong suspicion rising.

 

‘Could it be… that I haven’t fully recovered from being sick?’

 

If that wasn’t the case, then it would mean he was continuously seeing… hallucinations right now…

 

Glance.

 

When he turned his gaze back toward the children, he could see them playing among themselves as if nothing was wrong.

 

Goosebumps rose on his forearms.

 

It felt like he had become the only person to discover something alien.

 

Kwon Hae-seong could only reluctantly stare at the Dolphin Class door right beyond the learning board. The urge to open that door and run away immediately surged up within him.

 

However, the urging of children who knew nothing was even more frightening.

 

“Too slow… It’s boring.”

 

“Seal Teacher is like a snail.”

 

“He’s Snail Teacher!”

 

“Hehe! Snail!”

 

Oh, God, please do not lead me into temptation…

 

With tears in his eyes, he recited Bible verses inwardly while steadfastly moving his hands. And finally, the moment when a formula was completed on the board.

 

[ 5 + 1 = 6 ]

 

His mind, activated by fear, came up with a rather decent idea for once.

 

‘Should I call out their names?’

 

If so, he would be able to find out who the remaining one child was.

 

Since he couldn’t bring himself to look at each child’s face one by one and had only briefly confirmed the number of heads, he was even less certain.

 

If someone asked how he worked as a hunter while being so cowardly… he would answer like this.

 

‘Ghosts don’t follow the laws of physics.’

 

Therefore… they’re even scarier because hitting them has no effect.

 

Anyway, he decided to put his thoughts into action while still keeping his gaze fixed on the learning board. And after several more deep breaths and mind control, he opened his mouth.

 

“…I suddenly want to take attendance. Answer when I call your name… Lee Seo-ra.”

 

“Yes! But why are you suddenly calling our names?”

 

“…Kim Noah.”

 

“Yesssss! I said it the loudest~”

 

“Nam Tae-jae.”

 

“Yes.”

 

After that, Baek Cheonji, Lee Won-gang, and Park Da-yeong.

 

Just in case, he even tried calling ‘Lee Seo-ro’, but all that came back were jeers.

 

“Teacher, Seo-ro isn’t here! Don’t you even know that?”

 

“Noah, the teacher might not know that. Don’t be so mean.”

 

“Lee Seo-ro, he went out with our teacher earlier! You saw them together.”

 

Kwon Hae-seong nodded with an awkward smile.

 

He had heard all kinds of criticism, but in the end, he had found the answer.

 

‘There wasn’t a single child who didn’t respond to their name…’

 

That meant the remaining one was truly a child he ‘didn’t know’.

 

Or… something else in the form of a child.

 

Kwon Hae-seong barely held onto his consciousness, which was on the verge of fainting, and managed to shift his gaze.

 

One child at the very edge of the group.

 

Squinting his eyes, he desperately tried to look without seeming to look…

 

Though blurry, he caught a glimpse of light pink curly hair.

 

Gulp.

 

‘As expected… I don’t know.’

 

It was a child he had never seen before.

 

There was no student at Ocean Kindergarten who had light pink hair.

 

‘I’ve never heard of any transfer students coming either.’

 

Then, that child’s identity was…

 

***

 

The next day after that.

 

Very rarely, my steps to work were as light as feathers.

 

The monetary compensation that BOND promised was deposited into my account this morning as soon as I signed.

 

‘Sweet.’

 

The salary and bonuses I had steadily saved up until now, plus this compensation.

 

I realized once again that peace of mind doesn’t come from anything else but having money in your bank account.

 

Of course, it was still woefully insufficient to survive in this harsh capitalist world… but this was something.

 

Just the fact that a monthly salary came in was more than enough to wash away the sorrow of unemployment I had experienced in the past.

 

‘Yeah, that’s good enough.’

 

And thanks to that, I could also buy gifts for people I was grateful to.

 

‘I’ve already picked out gifts for Aunt and Hyung.’

 

And also…

 

I looked down at Nabi, who was holding my hand and commuting to work with me.

 

Nabi was walking alongside me, wearing the same children’s sportswear I had hastily bought at the department store last week without even washing it.

 

Hmm…

 

‘I should buy more clothes.’

 

I awkwardly patted the round head with my remaining hand.

 

While doing so, I also picked out a few gifts to give Nabi.

 

‘Kindergarten uniform, crayons and a sketchbook are needed, and I should buy a few more sets of change of clothes.’

 

That was enough for Nabi, and for the kindergarten principal and colleagues…

 

‘For them, I’ll just lightly distribute some coffee and desserts.’

 

If I give them with some excuse, they won’t be able to refuse. As I walked while recalling the location of the dessert shop I had spotted nearby, I suddenly remembered what happened with Kwon Hae-seong yesterday.

 

After finishing the conversation with the employee and returning to Dolphin Class, Kwon Hae-seong was teaching with his face pale as a sheet.

 

Even after I arrived, he continued the lesson quite stubbornly, so I decided not to stop him and just watched.

 

But… the problem was after the lesson ended.

 

 

Kwon Hae-seong, who suddenly started explaining the circumstances of discovering a kid ghost in a disorganized manner, looked like his soul had been completely drained.

 

And only after listening to all the explanations he poured out could I finally reach a conclusion.

 

-Kwon Hae-seong didn’t know about Nabi’s existence.

 

-Therefore, Kwon Hae-seong mistook Nabi for a ‘kid ghost’.

 

The responsibility for things getting this tangled lay with…

 

Me, who left without explaining.

 

…And surprisingly, with the kids in our class who hadn’t mentioned a single word about ‘Nabi’s’ existence to Kwon Hae-seong.

 

 

I would have been scared too if I were in his position.

 

In the end, I sighed and rolled up my sleeves.

 

And I desperately tried to inform Kwon Hae-seong about Nabi’s existence to calm him down.

 

But his attitude of not easily believing me made me eventually bring Nabi over to let him see for himself, and only after making them exchange greetings…

 

 

He finally seemed to accept the situation.

 

‘Though he couldn’t properly look at Nabi’s face until the very end…’

 

I remembered that Kwon Hae-seong’s complexion wasn’t good even right before leaving work.

 

“…”

 

As expected, I should add a small gift for Kwon Hae-seong separately.

 

With that thought organized, I opened the door to the staff lounge and entered.

 

“…”

 

“…?”

 

The weight of the air was different from usual.

 

A subtly heavy and serious atmosphere.

 

However, perhaps conscious of me having just arrived at work, everyone awkwardly tried to act bright.

 

“Oh, Teacher, you’re here? The weather today is… so nice, isn’t it?”

 

“You must have had to take a detour because of construction near the intersection on your way here. Was it okay?”

 

I shifted my gaze toward the window.

 

It had been raining outside since dawn.

 

“Rainy days are nice too. As for the intersection area… I took a shortcut.”

 

What’s this, something feels off.

 

For now, I turned around as if nothing was wrong and put on my apron first.

 

‘Besides, it’s quiet.’

 

Unlike usual.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

I asked deliberately in a light tone.

 

“…”

 

But there’s no answer?

 

When I tied my apron strings tightly and turned around, only then did Park I-deun start speaking while glancing around nervously.

 

“Haha, it’s nothing big…”

 

“If it’s nothing big, you should be able to tell me about it.”

 

“That’s also true…”

 

As Park I-deun struggled, Yu Jin-chae couldn’t stand watching and intervened with a sigh.

 

“Well~ yesterday when you briefly left your position, Teacher Hae-seong was making a fuss saying he saw some kid ghost in Dolphin Class, saying it was scary~ scary~.”

 

…What, that story?

 

“But I explained that it was Nabi to everyone…”

 

“Yes, yes, that’s right. But.”

 

Feeling slightly relieved about the content I already knew, I approached them.

 

Then, the closer I got, the more I realized that Kwon Hae-seong’s complexion wasn’t good.

 

After confirming that I sat down on the sofa, Kwon Hae-seong hesitated for a moment before speaking with difficulty.

 

“…The thing is, what I saw doesn’t seem to be just Nabi.”

 

“…!”

 

What does that mean.

 

“If it wasn’t Nabi, did you really see a kid ghost or something?”

 

“No, that’s…”

 

“Yes. What is it.”

 

“I think I saw… an industrial spy yesterday.”

 

“…What?”

 

That ‘industrial spy’ I was tediously suspected of being for a while? You’re talking about that now?

 

As I became flustered by the unexpected answer, the other teachers also nodded with expressions that showed they agreed.

 

Kwon Hae-seong turned completely toward me and spoke earnestly with a strangely aggrieved expression.

 

And to simply start with the conclusion.

 

“So, you’re saying you briefly stopped by the main building before leaving work yesterday and think you saw a spy there?”

 

“Yes, but it passed by so quickly that I couldn’t see properly… The face wasn’t familiar, so I thought it was Nabi again.”

 

Wait, am I the only one who doesn’t understand this?

 

He says he saw an unfamiliar person at the main building yesterday and thought it was Nabi, so he let it pass.

 

But how does that connect to an industrial spy, and why are you depressed about missing it?

 

Seeing my expression that showed I didn’t understand at all, Kwon Hae-seong hurriedly continued his explanation.

 

“I heard from a friend who works at headquarters yesterday… Last week, during the weekend, all the confidential data managed by the Potion Manufacturing Department and Research Team was… stolen.”

 

…I vaguely remember hearing about it.

 

Just yesterday, I personally comforted an employee who was suffering for the same reason.

 

“It doesn’t seem to have leaked outside yet, but the situation is that only confidential data was specifically selected and disappeared, so the company is in chaos trying to root out spies. They searched through CCTV all night and even brought in an Awakener with Psychometry Skills…”

 

(*Psychometry: The ability to read sensations from specific objects)

 

As Kwon Hae-seong spoke without his usual hesitation, the tension level gradually increased instead.

 

I swallowed and waited for his next words.

 

And.

 

“It was an outsider, not an internal person.”

 

“…”

 

“The criminal who stole the data.”

 

“…”

 

I looked at Kwon Hae-seong with eyes that said ‘so what about it.’

 

And at this point, Yu Jin-chae, who had been holding back with a frustrated expression, suddenly cut in with the rest.

 

“Ugh, you should start with the conclusion. We’ll waste forever explaining like this. The problem is that external infiltrator was a child.”

 

“…What?!”

 

Didn’t she cut off too much of the story?

 

“The Psychometry Awakener they brought was F-rank, so they couldn’t read detailed appearance or anything like that. But they definitely confirmed through their ability that the criminal who stole the data had the appearance of a child. And coincidentally, Teacher Hae-seong saw a child who wasn’t one of our kindergarten students in that building yesterday, right?”

 

“…”

 

“I saw Teacher and Nabi go straight home yesterday, so I told Teacher Hae-seong this morning. That it probably wasn’t Nabi, and the result is…”

 

Yu Jin-chae points at Kwon Hae-seong with her finger.

 

“That death-like expression.”

 

“…I really thought it was Nabi.”

 

W-wait a minute…

 

Let me just think about the conclusion, just the conclusion.

 

So, the ‘child’ that Kwon Hae-seong saw at the main building yesterday might actually be a real spy, but he missed it thinking it was Nabi, which is why he has that death-like expression?

 

“…”

 

Once the clean conclusion was drawn, my brain entered a lull.

 

In other words, my interest had died out.

 

Why?

 

“…Well, it wasn’t really important anyway.”

 

So what about it.

 

Nabi isn’t actually a spy, and it’s not like any of our kindergarten children are under suspicion either.

 

I shrugged and dismissed Kwon Hae-seong’s words.

 

“Living life, you can encounter spies and such things. I’ve seen them a few times too.”

 

“…Really?”

 

No.

 

But let’s say yes. Because it’s bothersome.

 

And in the late afternoon.

 

I was properly hit by the karma my words had brought upon me.

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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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