01. Appreciation - Haikyuu! - KenmaYachi

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Summary: Series of connecting slice-of-life one-shots of our favorite little manager from Karasuno as she remains 'on-loan' to Nekoma during the summer training camp!

My lack of Haikyuu! knowledge might make some things untrue or some characters OOC!

I don't own Haikyuu!

Please forgive any mistakes, both character-wise and grammatically-wise. I don't have time to re-read or edit things.

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01. Appreciation

HappyFace1886

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Yachi Hitoka.

Kenma didn’t glance up from his phone as the name briefly ran through his mind. It had been a few days since the young first year from Karasuno had started acting as a ‘manager-on-loan’ to Nekoma during the summer training camp, but the name still flashed through his head as though it was new and something completely foreign. Since Karasuno had two managers, albeit one who was in training, it was agreed that Yachi would help out more with Nekoma, as they were lacking one, so that the ones acting in managerial duty had a chance to train with the others. Fukurodani also had two managers, but with Bokuto in the picture, two –along with the combined forces with Akaashi- would be barely enough to rein in the energetic, hyperactive Bokuto. Not to mention, it was also agreed –albeit reluctantly by a lot of the Karasuno team members- that this would be a good opportunity for Yachi to gain some experience on her own as a team manager without actually being on her own.

His fingers slid over the phone screen, absentmindedly playing the game he’d downloaded earlier in the morning. He’d long since grown bored of it, nearly halfway through with it already. His PSP hadn’t been allowed for the summer training camp. Still, it was more interesting than waiting for practice to start again. Since it wouldn’t do to overwork their bodies, the coaches had decided that they would have an hour or two of break on their own in between practice. Kenma had barely escaped the attention of others, finding a quiet place to remain alone until it was time for practice to start again.

He paused at that.

Everyone knew that when Kenma wanted to disappear, it was next to impossible to find him. The only one who’d actually have any luck in finding him was Kuroo and yet...

---

A quiet knock on the door made Kenma lift up his head slightly, the light from his game making his amber eyes glow ominously within the dimly lit storage room.

“A-A-Ano,” there was a stammer from behind the door. There was only one feminine voice that he knew who spoke with such a tremor. “K-Kenma-san, p-practice is going to start in t-ten minutes. N-Nekomata-sensei is t-threatening all those l-late with ten laps of f-flying receives, s-so I just wanted to... let you know... I-I’m sorry for bothering you!”

Before he could get a word in, he heard the quick footsteps of Yachi running away.

---

That had been the first day Yachi had been assigned the manager for Nekoma, but somehow she’d been able to find him. At first, he’d imagined that it’d been a fluke, that she’d found him after searching for a long time or had found him by luck, but each time, exactly ten minutes before practice, she’d find him to give him a heads-up that practice was going to start.

It’d taken him off guard at first. He’d never been good with people and really wanted nothing to do with them. He tolerated his teammates and knew them to be good people. However, connecting with others, it was something he could barely grasp the understanding of. At most, it was Kuroo he was the most comfortable with, but it was difficult to say no to such a forceful personality and powerful presence. And in his own way, Kuroo understood him.

Which was why Yachi Hitoka was such a mystery to him.

---

“Yo,” Kuroo greeted with an arched brow, pleasantly surprised that Kenma had actually made it on time to practice. Though Kenma wasn’t really the type to play hooky, he did have a tendency to wander and get lost, especially if he’s not paying attention or was focused more on his videogames. In fact, Kuroo had planned on letting Kenma be late this time so that he could enjoy seeing the pudding-head scowling at having to do an extra set of flying receives.

“Ah,” Kenma regarded the taller boy with the vaguest nod.

“Wah, Kenma-sempai, you’re on time!” Lev cried out in joy. “And I was sure you’d be tardy and get punished again!”

Kenma almost scowled at him. The latest Nekoma team member was one of the hardest people Kenma had time adjusting to. The guy was too energetic and oblivious, almost akin to Bokuto, but even more so on an annoying level than the older boy. At least Bokuto-san had some sense when it counted. The scowl faded from his face when Kenma felt the edges of his sense tingling.

Someone was watching him.

He tilted his head in time to lock eyes with honey brown orbs which belonged to a sudden flustered girl who almost tripped over her own two feet when she saw Kenma staring at her. She managed to catch herself on time, straightening herself so that she didn’t end up accidentally pushing the giant cage filled with volleyballs straight into the middle of the court. Yamamoto abruptly materialized beside her, holding onto the other side of the cage in an effort to help her rein it in.

“Y-Y-Yamamoto-san,” Yachi squeaked in alarm.

Yamamoto froze, taken off guard by the cute, flustered look on the –dare he say it?!- team manager (omg!!) for Nekoma. Overcome with shyness and exhilaration, he ended up staring intently at her, his mouth opening and closing several times with no sound coming out. Yachi gazed at him in confusion and panic, obviously thinking she’d messed up somewhere and offended the Nekoma ace. By now, Yamamoto’s face had turned into a brilliant shade of red, his eyes shifting to a vicious glare as he was no longer able to control his own anxiety. Kenma knew it was only a matter of time before Yachi started crying out apologies again. Not that he could blame her. Yamamoto looked as though he was going to eat her alive out of anger when, really, he was actually mortified of his own shyness.

SMACK!

“Stop scaring her already,” Yaku scolded with a scowl, having hit Yamamoto hard on the back of his head. He grabbed Yamamoto by the collar to drag him away and gave Yachi an encouraging smile. “Sorry about that.”

“N-No, I’m the one who should be apologizing,” Yachi replied frantically.

Beside him, Kenma heard Kuroo snigger. “Ah, that was a good one. Seems like there’s always something entertaining to watch when our little manager is around.”

Kenma glanced at Kuroo, split between ignoring Kuroo and saying something. Shoyo had frantically pleaded that he take care of Yachi, after all. However, the words escaped him when he felt his senses twitch once more. This time he was more discrete, glancing to the side to see Yachi shyly watching him. No, it was more like she was watching everyone.

“She’s not really an athlete, but if she was, she would be a dangerous one over time.” Kuroo remarked lightly, almost as though he was talking to himself. That notion was abandoned when Kuroo gave Kenma a sly smile. “She’s a little like you, I’d say. Though nicer. And much cuter.”

The last two remarks were completely unnecessary, but they brushed off Kenma like dust. Instead, his mind was more focused on what Kuroo didn’t say.

---

Apparently to Kuroo, Yachi’s observation skills were almost on par with his. A very high compliment, especially coming from the Nekoma team captain. Though whether Yachi could utilize it like him was another story. She lacked the confidence and the self-awareness to understand her own abilities and Kenma absentmindedly wondered if she’d ever even notice.

Not that it stopped her from effectively using it.

Only a few days had passed since Yachi started her position as a manager on loan, but she was already easily matching the habits and behaviors of the team. She’d note when someone was especially tired even when they tried to hide it, appearing instantly with a towel and bottle of water at hand. If someone was trying to hide an injury, Nekomata-sensei or the coach didn’t even need to direct her as she’d already be making a beeline to the injured student with a first aid-kit at hand. There were always snacks and energy food available at a moment’s notice and Yachi was always prepared to hand it out to the hungry team.

As Yamamoto had said while crying tears of awe and joy: This was the miracle and blessing of having a cute female team manager.

A remark which earned him a hard slap on the back of his head, courtesy of Yaku-san.

Any other manager truly would have done the same things Yachi-san had been doing, but to reach the level of efficiency she had in just a few days was something else. Normally, it would take months of bonding for a manager to actually be on the same wavelength as the team, especially since the manager didn’t need to endure the usual hardship and training the team would face together.

Kenma slowly lowered his phone, his eyes glazing over at the memory.

Not to mention...

---

“A-Ah, L-Lev-san!” Kenma stilled from his hiding place in one of the storage rooms as he heard Yachi-san’s voice outside. “C-C-Can I help you?”

“Yachi-san! I was just going to grab one of the balls to practice. Coach said to relax, but I think trying to relax is just making me more restless. Inuoka-san offered to practice receives with me!” the pudding-haired boy felt his mouth instinctive curl into a scowl at the sound of the all too energetic boy. Lev’s energy was different from Shoyo’s. It was too all over the place and it didn’t help that Lev had a mouth on him, saying whatever he wanted without thinking. It always dragged attention to the team, something Kenma worked hard at to avoid.

“I-I’ll get it for you! Please g-go on ahead!”

“Hm? Are you sure?”

“Yes!” she insisted. “I was going to get something from the storage room anyways. You can go on ahead and stretch first. Nekomata-sensei will get angry if you hurt yourself while practicing.”

“Ah, thank you very much, Yachi-san!” Kenma didn’t need to be looking to know that Lev was probably sporting one of his blinding smiles. “Yamamoto-sempai was right! It’s really convenient to have a manager around. Thanks again, Yachi-san!”

There was the stomping of feet as Lev made his way out of the hallway and Kenma could hear Yachi breathing out a sigh of relief before silence reined. A few moments passed before he heard the tentative knocking on the door before it was quietly opened. “K-Kenma-san? S-Sorry to disturb you...”

“....it’s fine...”

“I-I’m sure you heard the conversation outside. I-I’ll just take one of the balls and be on my way then.” Yachi stammered, trying to control her anxiety as she tiptoed over to where the balls were to pull one out.

“...why?”

Yachi hesitated when she heard the soft murmur. Holding onto one of the balls, she tilted her head curiously at him.

“Why did you do that?”

“E-Eh? O-Oh, you mean with Lev-san? I... just... well...” Yachi gripped onto the ball tightly, seemingly hiding behind it as she spoke in a small voice. “E-Everyone’s working really hard, s-so I thought breaks should be s-something cherished... a-and since I know it can be m-mentally exhausting for a setter, I-I thought K-Kenma-san would want some time a-alone... Ah! I’m so sorry! I overstepped my boundary, didn’t I? I-It’s just that Lev-san can be so lively and I-I know Kenma-san would rather be alone for a while s-so... ah! But that was presumptuous of me! I... I’m so sorry!”

Kenma stared at the girl bowing in front of him, a bit speechless and unsure of how to handle the situation. He hadn’t really meant to say anything. What she did was her own business, even if it seemed like she was doing it out of consideration for him. If she hadn’t heard him speak, he wouldn’t have pressed further to know why.

“No...”

Yachi’s fingers tightened even further around the ball as she hesitantly glanced up. “E-Eh?”

“I mean...thank you,” Kenma continued softly. “That was considerate of you.”

A brilliant blush overcame Yachi’s face and she seemed to try to hide behind the ball again. “I-It was nothing! I... I’m going to get the ball to Lev-san now! P-Practice will start in twenty minutes, so please don’t be late!”

---

Shoyo had insisted that Yachi-san was very sweet and kind, though lacking a good amount of confidence. However, once she was more comfortable, she was generally very considerate and smart. They were traits Kenma had noticed in their brief moments together and obviously something Kuroo had noticed as well if his remark from before was anything to go by. Not to mention, she tried very hard for the team, doing her best to understand a sport she had absolutely no previous knowledge of.

---

“Please take care of her, Kenma!” Hinata pleaded with his hands pressed together. From behind, Kageyama was sporting one of his infamous, unhappy glowers. “I-It’s not that I think you guys will do anything to her, but... well... she’s a good friend and I’ll feel better knowing that you’re watching out for her!”

---

Kenma turned his phone off and began counting down from ten. She was rarely late when she came to find him and lately, he’d notice that he’d already be aware of when practice was going to start. Probably due to the anticipation of her arrival.

He and Yachi-san rarely talked, but he was starting to realize that even if they didn’t, it didn’t mean that they couldn’t appreciate one another. For one, he definitely appreciated the fact that he didn’t even need to say anything to her and she understood. There was no need for him to try and force out words he had difficulty forming because she, who watched and observed as much as he did, knew what he felt and did her best to support him in her own way.

Was this what it was like to be friends with someone? If it was, it was a different sort of friendship from the one he had with Kuroo and Shoyo. They were teammates and rivals, respectively, that also shared a bond through a common sport, but Kenma also knew from watching Yachi-san that she didn’t go out of her way to behave this way simply because of her duty as a manager. Even if she would try to stammer and hide behind that excuse, it was exactly as Shoyo said, Yachi-san was very considerate and sweet. She moved at his pace because she wanted him to be comfortable and content. Yachi-san didn’t try and make him follow her rhythm as others were more apt to do, intentionally or not.

And for that, he was grateful.

It was a new experience and, honestly speaking, it actually felt... nice.

There was the usual tentative knock from the door before Yachi’s voice gently flitted inside. “K-Kenma-san, p-practice is starting in ten minutes.”

“Ah...” he murmured quietly from behind the closed door, a small smile forming on his face. “....thank you.”

Perhaps for once he could agree with the idiot duo. Having a manager, especially if it was Yachi-san, was very nice.

---

::owari::

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AU: And thus begins a new love for another series. Bwahaha, I hope I can still focus on KHR, but I'm loving Haikyuu so far.

By idiot duo, Kenma’s referring to Yamamoto and Lev. I’m not saying that Yachi has some insane observational skills, but I think hers might be above average. Takeda-sensei is observant, but he’s also an adult and has many life experiences. Yamaguchi is observant as well, but only when it comes to Tsukishima and that’s probably because they grew up together. I noticed Yachi is already able to differentiate Tsukishima’s neutral expressions even though she’s only known him for a little bit. Hinata is... well... Hinata, a ball of instincts and energy, so I’m not surprised when he’s able to notice things other don’t. Haha, I think Hinata and Bokuto can both be considered the same ‘type’, where they move mostly be instinct than the intellectuals like Tsukishima, Kenma, and Kageyama. With Yachi, I believe she’s very detail oriented due to her mother’s influence and her own interests when it comes to designs and art.

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