Winner [Haikyu!! x OC] (Completed)

Lose-Lose

"What was the team like last year?" I ask as I sit down with my lunch.

"Hmm?" Watari looks up at me.

"What was the team like? You know, members, chemistry, positions, that kind of thing." I'm purposely fishing for information about Mad Dog, but I don't want to say so directly. I want Watari and Yahaba to give me pure information, as it comes naturally and without me prompting them. That way, whatever they tell me will be a better representation of how they actually feel about their previous teammate.

I drilled Iwaizumi on the same topic earlier today, and since he already knows about the Mad Dog situation, I was able to ask him directly. But he wasn't actually very helpful. All he wanted to do was brag about how he's never lost to Mad Dog in an athletic contest.

I let out a mental sigh. I guess even Iwaizumi-san gets annoyingly prideful sometimes. I'm hoping to get something more helpful from the second-years. I need all the information I can get.

"Oh, I see." Watari takes a bite, chews, and swallows. "Well, it was pretty much the same as it is now."

My face falls. Don't tell me this is going to be just as useless as it was with Iwaizumi.

"Why do you want to know, Lily?" Yahaba sets his elbow on the table, then leans his head on his hand to look at me. "Are you imagining me as a first-year? I was pretty cute. Though I'm much more good-looking now."

I grimace, giving him a half-lidded glance before repeating the advice Watari gave me the first time Yahaba tried to goad me into flirting with him. "You're making a fool of yourself, Yahaba-kun."

The sandy-haired boy blows out a breath between his lips. "What are you talking about? I'm just telling the truth."

"Well, I'm being serious," I retort. "I want to know. Knowing where the team has been will help me know where we're going. It will help me set goals we can work toward."

"It's hard to believe you've never managed a team before, Lily," Watari says around a mouthful of rice.

"Huh?" I turn to look at him. "What do you mean?"

Watari swallows. "It's just—"

"It's just, you're too good at it," Yahaba jumps in, pointing an accusing finger at me. "You do things no first-time manager would ever do. Coaches have never had to order you around because you've already done what they would have told you to do. And you're always thinking about stuff like this too. Stuff that I don't even think about." He sits up straight, throwing out a hand dismissively.

I stare at him for a second, then burst out laughing. "What are you talking about, Yahaba-kun?" I take a deep breath to relax my stomach muscles, then shake my head at Watari. "Seriously," I chuckle.

"I agree with him," Watari shrugs.

I blink. "You do?"

"He's right about this one."

I'm stunned for a moment. "Well, this time might be my first time as a team manager, but I'm no stranger to athletics. Of course I know my way around a court." I don't know why they think my performance is so stellar. I'm not doing anything special. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm still thinking more like a player than a manager. And I don't think that's a good thing.

"I guess that's true," Watari tilts his head thoughtfully. "Maybe it just seems like you have a lot of experience as a team manager because we don't know any better. The team tried recruiting a couple team managers last year, but they were both—"