More Than Trouble

Chapter 1: The Worst Student Ever

Nami was not a babysitter.

She was a tutor. A professional—well, as professional as a high schooler could be. She didn't waste time on hopeless cases, she didn't deal with idiots who thought school was a joke, and she definitely didn't take on students who couldn't even pretend to care.

So why was she sitting at a café, tapping her pen against her notebook, waiting for the most unserious person on the planet?

The bell above the door jingled.

Nami already knew who it was before she looked up.

Luffy.

He had the same messy black hair, the same wide grin, and the same energy that made it seem like he belonged anywhere but in a study session. He wasn't even wearing normal clothes—just his usual red hoodie, ripped jeans, and sandals. Sandals. In the middle of fall.

He flopped into the seat across from her, arms stretching over his head like he had all the time in the world.

"Yo, Nami!"

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're late."

Luffy blinked. "Huh? No, I'm not."

"You were supposed to be here at five."

"Yeah, and I got here at five!"

"It's five-thirty."

Luffy tilted his head, processing. Then he just shrugged. "Close enough."

Nami took a deep breath. Don't kill him. Don't kill him. She needed this tutoring gig to make money—not to get arrested for strangling an idiot.

"Alright," she said, flipping open her notebook. "Let's just start. What part of the material do you need help with?"

Luffy grinned. "Dunno."

She stared at him. "You... don't know?"

"Yeah! My coach just said my grades are 'an embarrassment to the team' or something. So he told me to get a tutor." He pointed at her. "That's you!"

Nami closed her eyes, counting to ten to avoid flipping the table. "You don't even know what you need to study?"

Luffy leaned back, grinning. "Nope. That's your job, isn't it?"

Oh.
Oh, she was going to kill him.

"You—you—" She clenched her fists, then forced herself to smile. A deadly, fake smile. "Okay. Fine. You don't know what to study? Then let's figure out what you're worst at."

Luffy nodded. "Sounds good to me!"

"Great. First question—what's seven times eight?"

Luffy grinned. "Oh, easy! It's—" He paused. His grin faltered.

Nami waited.

Luffy's eyes darted to the side.

She raised an eyebrow.

"...Seventy-two?"

Nami closed her notebook. Hard.

This was going to be a nightmare.

Nami exhaled slowly. She wasn't going to let this idiot get under her skin.

"Okay," she said, forcing herself to stay calm. "Not seventy-two. Try again."

Luffy drummed his fingers against the table, frowning in deep concentration. The gears in his head were actually turning. It was almost impressive—except for the part where it was taking him way too long for basic multiplication.

He snapped his fingers. "Sixty-two!"

Nami's eye twitched.

She took another deep breath. "Do you even know your times tables?"

Luffy scratched his cheek. "Ehh, kinda?"

"Kinda?!"

"Well, I know the easy ones! Like two times two is four. And five times five is... uhh... twenty-five! See?" He looked so proud of himself, like he'd just solved the meaning of life.

Nami buried her face in her hands. "Oh my god."

Luffy laughed. "Don't worry, I'll get better! You're supposed to teach me, right?"

That was the problem. She was supposed to teach him. But how was she supposed to teach someone who didn't even take it seriously?

She dropped her hands and glared at him. "Fine. If you're going to be this bad at math, we're going to drill the basics until you get them right. And if I have to suffer, so do you."

Luffy grinned. "Bring it on!"

"You say that now." Nami smirked. "But by the time we're done, you're going to be begging for mercy."

Luffy just laughed, as if completely unbothered.

Nami flipped open her notebook, grabbing a pen. "First rule—if you get something wrong, you owe me a favor."

Luffy's grin widened. "Ohhh, a bet? Now we're talking!"

She gave him a look. "It's not a bet. It's motivation."

"Same thing!" Luffy stretched his arms behind his head. "Alright, what kind of favors?"

Nami smirked. "Oh, I'll get creative. Carry my books. Buy me snacks. Run my errands. Maybe even—"

"Wait, wait, wait—you're making me your errand boy?"

"Exactly," she said sweetly.

Luffy stared at her for a moment. Then, to her surprise, he grinned. "Sounds fun! Let's do it!"

...What?

Nami had expected resistance. She had expected whining, complaining, maybe even bargaining. But instead, Luffy looked excited.

Her eyes narrowed. Why did this feel like a trap?

Still, she wasn't backing down. "Good. Then let's start with the next question. What's twelve times nine?"

Luffy tapped his chin. "Easy—uhh, wait..." He furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

Nami smirked. He was doomed.

"One hundred and... ten?"

Nami slammed her notebook shut.

"That's another favor," she said smugly.

Luffy groaned, slumping over the table. "This is hard!"

"That's because you never actually tried before," she pointed out. "But don't worry, I'll fix you."

Luffy grinned again, tilting his head at her. "You sure you're not just using this to get free stuff?"

Nami gasped dramatically. "How could you accuse me of such a thing?"

He gave her a look.

She grinned. "Okay, maybe a little."

Luffy laughed. "Fine, fine. I'll keep playing your game. But if I actually get better at math, I get a reward too!"

Nami rolled her eyes. "Sure, whatever. If that miracle ever happens, I'll buy you lunch or something."

His eyes lit up. "Deal!"

Nami wasn't worried. There was no way Luffy was suddenly going to get good at math.

But what she didn't expect... was that he would actually start trying.

And somehow, that was worse.

End of Chapter 1

This is a short story, it will be around 20 to 25 chapters, but I hope you guys will still like it!