Becoming a Kindergarten Teacher for S-Class Spirit Beasts – CH28

Chapter 28

Bai Nuosi was outside, playing with the two cubs, catching butterflies, and when the time seemed right, he took out three bear-shaped bento boxes from his portable storage.

Each cub got a bento box and a bottle of milk, while Bai Nuosi brewed himself some flower tea. Today was a picnic day!

The Teng Snake, not fond of the heat, wandered around for a bit before diving into a nearby artificial lake. Little Black Panther, on the other hand, stayed obediently by Bai Nuosi’s side. They ate a few fruits together, and as they waited for the playful little black snake to return, Bai Nuosi took out an insect picture book to show Little Black Panther.

Pointing at the various insect images in the book, Bai Nuosi explained, “Insects usually share many common traits. First, they are arthropods. Arthropod means their bodies are segmented—”

Bai Nuosi took a pen and drew three connected circles on the blank page at the back of the book. The top two circles were smaller, and the bottom one was larger and oval-shaped.

He pointed to the three circles, saying, “These are the segments, and when they’re connected, this is the body of the insect. Insects generally have six legs and four wings, like this.”

He then drew wings and legs onto the three connected circles. “Six hooked legs and two pairs of wings like little fans. Long antennae and big eyes. Busy gathering nectar from dusk till dawn. Can you guess what insect I’ve drawn, sweetheart?”

Little Black Panther glanced at the simple drawing of a bee and then looked up at Bai Nuosi with a mischievous smile, shaking its head deliberately.

Bai Nuosi chuckled and pointed to the flower bed, saying, “Look, sweetheart, I drew the little bees! You just caught two of them earlier—they’re bees.”

Little Black Panther, still nestled in Bai Nuosi’s arms, looked unenthusiastically at the bees buzzing around the flowers, disinterested in everything.

Meanwhile, Little Black Snake was having the time of its life. After spending most of the day playing in the water, it suddenly shot out from who-knows-where, darting toward Bai Nuosi with a small, struggling white creature in its mouth.

Bai Nuosi was startled, staring in shock at Little Black Snake.

Was this little one a bit wild?

Teng Snake, holding a small white rabbit in its mouth, tilted its head innocently, gazing at Bai Nuosi. It was confused. Its master had said Teacher Bai would be happy to see this rabbit.

But why did Teacher Bai look so frightened?

Of course, Bai Nuosi was startled. Little Black Snake wasn’t a real snake but a beast cub, so why was it carrying a rabbit? Was it going to… swallow it whole?

Nervously, Bai Nuosi watched Little Black Snake, fearing that it might suddenly tilt its head back and gulp the poor rabbit down.

Teng Snake slowly crawled to Bai Nuosi’s side and gently placed the little white rabbit in front of him.

The rabbit, still young and not yet fully grown, was clearly terrified, trembling as it sat there, too frightened to run away.

Little Black Snake’s eyes gleamed with a pleased smile as it nuzzled affectionately into Bai Nuosi’s embrace.

The livestream audience loved watching the interaction between Bai Nuosi and the cubs:

[You can tell Teacher Bai really cares for the cubs. Otherwise, they wouldn’t rely on him so much.]

[Little Black Panther overcame its fear to bring fruit to Teacher Bai, and Little Black Snake went even further, bringing a pet!]

[Oh no, if Teacher Bai starts caring for a pet, how will he have time to care for the two of you? Don’t let other animals take up Teacher Bai’s attention!]

[Hmm, is it possible that someone else sent that rabbit to Teacher Bai? I don’t think a spiritual body would do that on its own.]

*

Bai Nuosi gently put Little Black Panther down and crouched to check on the frightened rabbit. He said in surprise, “Where did you find this little bunny? It has a mom and dad, and they’ll be worried if they can’t find it. Let’s send it back, okay?”

Little Black Snake tilted its head and hissed softly, seeming reluctant.

Suddenly, Little Black Panther darted forward, grabbed the rabbit in its mouth, and ran toward the artificial lake.

Bai Nuosi: “…”

Little Black Snake: “???”

Little Black Snake was furious. This rabbit was a special gift its master had ordered it to bring to Teacher Bai!

What was Little Black Panther doing?

With a quick flick of its body, Little Black Snake shot after Little Black Panther.

Bai Nuosi: “…”

Bai Nuosi got up and followed, watching as Little Black Panther sniffed its way to the rabbit’s home—a small hole hidden in the bushes.

Little Black Panther placed the rabbit at the entrance and squatted there, waiting for the rabbit to go inside.

But the rabbit just looked at the hole and didn’t move.

Little Black Panther hesitated, tilting its head before gently nudging the rabbit’s rear with its paw.

The little rabbit stumbled when it was nudged but still refused to go back into the burrow.

Little Black Panther looked at the rabbit in confusion, unable to understand. The rabbit had clearly returned home, so why wasn’t it going inside?

Just then, Little Black Snake caught up and slapped Little Black Panther on the back with its tail, glaring angrily: Why did you steal my rabbit!

Little Black Panther looked at Little Black Snake with a sense of grievance, then glanced back at the rabbit. When Bai Nuosi arrived, he noticed that something seemed off about the rabbit’s burrow.

However, he could understand Little Black Panther’s feelings. Earlier, when they had asked Little Black Panther to take care of a baby rose plant, it had refused, probably thinking that if it couldn’t take full responsibility, it shouldn’t care for it at all. Whether it was a rose or a rabbit, the best outcome was to leave it with its family.

Crouching beside the two cubs, Bai Nuosi said, “Don’t worry, sweethearts. I’ll ask the rabbit’s family where it belongs.”

Bai Nuosi snapped a photo of the rabbit and sent it to Mons, asking, “Manager, there’s a little rabbit here. Is there any way to send it back home?”

Mons quickly replied, “Oh, Xiao Bai! Our garden and orchard are overrun with rabbits. They’ve practically hollowed out the ground! We hired a professional team this morning to drive them out and release them. This little one must have been missed. Do you want to keep it? If not, I’ll have someone come pick it up.”

When Mons received Bai Nuosi’s message, he was puzzled—how could the professional team have missed a rabbit?

Bai Nuosi read Mons’s response and looked at Little Black Snake. He suspected that the “missed” rabbit was Little Black Snake’s doing.

After some thought, Bai Nuosi picked up the rabbit and told the two cubs, “The little rabbit doesn’t have a home anymore. Let’s take it back with us, and Teacher Bai will make a new home for it in the garden.”

Little Black Snake was thrilled and immediately followed Bai Nuosi. But after walking a few steps, Little Black Panther suddenly collapsed, shocking both Bai Nuosi and the livestream audience!

The chat exploded:

[Oh my gosh! Little Black Panther looks like it’s about to evolve!]

[Wow, this definitely looks like evolution, but Little Black Panther’s only been at the nursery for what, less than ten days? Evolving this fast?]

[The fastest-recorded evolution in history was around 20 days. If Little Black Panther evolves now, it’ll be setting a new record!]

*

In a short period of time, Little Black Panther had already shown signs of trouble twice, and Bai Nuosi was really worried about its health.

Mons and the medical team arrived just in time. After all, Han Baiyi had been admitted to the hospital half a day ago, and it was impressive that Little Black Panther had managed to hold on this long—its endurance amazed the doctors.

In the medical room, Bai Nuosi anxiously waited, holding the rabbit in one hand and Little Black Snake in the other.

Inside the hospital room, Huo Ranchuan hurried over, and Dr. Sajinna said in amazement, “When I heard about Han Baiyi being admitted this morning, I thought I’d have to pick up Little Black Panther. But it showed no reaction and was even playing outside with Teacher Bai. I thought I had misjudged.”

The doctors following Sajinna nodded in agreement. “We’ve never seen a spiritual body evolve this quickly. And for it to hold out for so long after reaching the critical point of spiritual energy—it’s incredibly rare.”

“This spirit is exceptional, and it’s S-level. Its future is limitless.”

“Could something have triggered it? Did Han Baiyi’s spiritual body evolve rapidly because of some catalyst?”

Sajinna mused, “Is it possible that evolving within half a month is actually normal? And that the one or two months—sometimes even six months—it took for previous spirit bodies to evolve was abnormal?”

After all, the rose nursery was the first of its kind in history, and any situation that occurred was new to them, and the doctors had no record to look up, so all we could say was that the little black panther was gifted.

Little Black Panther was sent to Han Baiyi’s spiritual recovery room. It would undergo its first evolution in the presence of its host. From that day forward, it would become a powerful adolescent spirit body, ready to participate in rigorous training and assist its host in missions.

It was about to leave its cubhood behind and become a proud, independent adult.

When Huo Ranchuan and Mons came out of the hospital room, they saw Bai Nuosi anxiously waiting in the hallway. Both men fell silent.

Mons scratched his head and asked Huo Ranchuan quietly, “Commander, how should we explain this to Teacher Bai?”

Coming up with an excuse would be easy, but they were worried about making Teacher Bai sad.

Looking at the rabbit in Bai Nuosi’s arms, Huo Ranchuan thought, If I knew how to explain this, I wouldn’t have sent him a rabbit in the first place.

When Bai Nuosi saw them approach, he hurried over and asked, “Director, Manager Mons, what’s wrong with Little Black Panther? Is it okay?”

Mons scratched his head nervously, “Well, uh…”

Huo Ranchuan stepped in, saying, “Little Black Panther’s family came to take it away.”

Bai Nuosi blinked in surprise, “Huh?”

Huo Ranchuan explained, “Little Black Panther wasn’t feeling well and had two episodes in the nursery. Its family was very worried, so they decided to withdraw it from the nursery and take it to another planet for treatment.”

Seeing Bai Nuosi’s red eyes, Huo Ranchuan softened. He had planned to tell him that he’d never see Little Black Panther again, but after hesitating for a moment, he changed his mind and said, “Once it’s better, you’ll be able to see it again.”

If, after a year or two, Bai Nuosi was still thinking about Little Black Panther, they would arrange for him to meet it.

By then, Little Black Panther would have grown into a massive adult black panther. Bai Nuosi might not even recognize it.

Bai Nuosi was deeply saddened. This sudden farewell had caught him completely off guard, and his heart ached.

He whispered, “Little Black Panther hasn’t even had lunch today…” The bento he had prepared hadn’t been opened.

“But,” Bai Nuosi smiled, “Little Black Panther loves being with its family the most. I was worried about his illness before, but now that he’s getting treatment, it’s for the best. I hope he gets well soon.”

Although Bai Nuosi had heard that Little Black Panther was adopted and not treated well by its family, there was nothing he could do now that they had come to take it back.

Huo Ranchuan, sensing this, reassured him, “You don’t need to worry. There are military personnel with Little Black Panther. I’ll personally follow up on its condition. If you ever feel uneasy, you can come to me for updates.”

Hearing this, Bai Nuosi finally smiled sincerely, “Really? That’s great news!”

Knowing that military personnel were protecting Little Black Panther, Bai Nuosi realized that its background was likely not simple. Was it perhaps the orphan of a martyr? He wondered but didn’t ask further. As someone from another star system, he knew not to pry into certain matters.

Bai Nuosi bid farewell to Huo Ranchuan and Mons, “Since Little Black Panther has been taken away, I’ll head back to pack its things so its family can take them as well.”

Huo Ranchuan nodded, “I’ll give you a ride back.”

His vehicle was much faster than the small buggy Bai Nuosi drove.

Bai Nuosi didn’t refuse. His mind was elsewhere, feeling empty now that Little Black Panther was gone, leaving him with only Little Black Snake.

As Huo Ranchuan sat next to him, he noticed Bai Nuosi’s low spirits and tried to comfort him, “Little Black Panther was going to leave eventually. After all, this is just a nursery, not its home.”

Separation is a part of life. Huo Ranchuan hoped Bai Nuosi wouldn’t grow too attached to the spiritual beings. Otherwise, every goodbye would be painful for him.

Having worked as a kindergarten teacher for many years, Bai Nuosi didn’t need much comfort. His mindset was already well-adjusted.

“Thank you, Director. I understand all of this. The little ones are still growing every day. The nursery is just their first rest stop in life. They’ll have a second, a third, and a fourth. Life is long, and they will go far and meet many people. As their teacher, my job is to be here when they need a place to rest, and when they’re ready, to send them off again.”

In this world, even his own children wouldn’t stay with him forever, let alone someone else’s.

Bai Nuosi had accepted this long ago. What made him sad wasn’t the parting itself, but the worry that the little ones wouldn’t be well after they left.

Huo Ranchuan, seeing Bai Nuosi’s slightly downcast face, felt a bit moved but wasn’t sure what to say.

Bai Nuosi, holding Little Black Snake, whispered, “Baby, when will you leave?”

Huo Ranchuan quickly interjected, “It won’t leave. It can stay with you forever.”

Bai Nuosi smiled, glancing at Huo Ranchuan, taking his words as mere comfort.

Back at the dormitory, Huo Ranchuan waited in the car while Bai Nuosi placed the little white rabbit in a basket and added some chopped fruit and clean water. Then, he put Little Black Snake on the stone table in the garden and opened one of the three bentos, placing it in front of Little Black Snake. “Baby, drink your milk first, then eat your meal. Teacher Bai is going to pack some things inside, alright?”

Little Black Snake gulped down its milk while nodding at Teacher Bai.

Satisfied, Bai Nuosi turned and went inside to gather Little Black Panther’s belongings.

The stone table was right outside his dorm window, so while he packed, he could glance back to check on Little Black Snake.

Meanwhile, perched in a tree in the garden, a round, chubby baby panda was staring intently at Little Black Snake, who was drinking milk on the stone table. Tilting its head, the panda eyed the bento shaped like cute little animals, thinking, That looks pretty tasty…

—

Translator Note:

AHHH!! A panda appeared! When I first read the synopsis for this story, the first thing that struck me the most was the appearance of a panda!