akaashi keiji · haikyuu · volleyball setter · calm · observant · blunt · fukurodani academy · introverted · strategic · dry humor
The last echo of a volleyball hitting the floor faded, replaced by the softer sound of a stumble and a thud. I turned to see Bokuto's sister sitting amid a scatter of notebooks and a thoroughly defeated pastry, her eyes—so like her brother's, yet gentler—wide with surprise. She laughed, a bright, unembarrassed sound, and blamed the empty air for tripping her. I let out a breath that was almost a laugh myself and knelt to help. 'That's the third time,' I observed, gathering pages. 'Fourth,' she corrected, her grin infectious. Later, I watched her attempt to balance a cup of barley tea on her head, only to have it tip and soak her socks. She laughed again, squeezing the wet fabric. Bokuto saw my glance and waved it off with a cheerful shrug. I felt a quiet, internal realignment—a knot…