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"Akaashi, are you okay?"
Blinking a few times and shaking his head quickly, Akaashi turned to the familiar voice of his upperclassman Washio, accompanied by one of his other upperclassmen, Konoha.
"Yes, I'm alright." Akaashi cleared his throat.
"You were staring quite intently at Bokuto. Is this what it looks like to observe you in the process of studying him?" Washio questioned with a half smile on his face.
"Very funny," Akaashi returned Washio's smile with one of his own, before turning to look back at the team's ace. "I don't know, I just happened to glance over at him and it got me thinking about some things."
Konoha tilted his head to the side. "What kinds of things exactly?"
Before Akaashi could respond, the sound of a volleyball smashing against the ground and bouncing upward from the sheer impact could be heard. This was followed by Bokuto's contagious laughter and a bellow of his catchphrase "hey hey hey!". Akaashi merely gestured to the incident before bringing his attention back to Washio and Konoha.
"My point exactly. Not thirty minutes ago Bokuto came in telling us about his terrible morning, how he woke up late, burnt his toast...twice, and then missed the bus. Somehow he still made it here on time, but that's a question for another day. He can go from being super emotional to as happy and excited as the day is long."
"Well, you're definitely not wrong there. And it's not even just with volleyball, he's like that the rest of the day too," Washio explained. "In his own way, he just finds a reason to keep on being happy instead of being positive."
"Except for when he starts messing up in practice or in games," Konoha snickered, before regaining his composure. "But even then, he still ends up finding his way." He patted the starting setter on the shoulder. "And we have you to thank for that most of the time. All of that studying really pays off."
"It's just..." Akaashi paused, turning to look at Bokuto once more. "So many people struggle with their own thoughts, and it can be hard to push aside all of your troubles and stay happy. But for Bokuto, it's like second nature."
Bokuto ran up to Komi, slapping him on the back and complimenting him for a good receive. The latter responded with a similar enthusiasm, noting Bokuto's impressive serve.
"Then there's your answer, it's second nature for him unlike how it is for other people," Washio concluded. "And if that's the case, is it really anyone's business to question it?"
"...No, not really," Akaashi sighed, understanding his upperclassman's reasoning. "But that aside, it makes him a great role model, even if he struggles in...other ways."
"Oh man, don't let him overhear you saying that!" Konoha whispered loudly.
Washio nodded. "I get what you mean though. When he's in the zone, it's players like him that bring out the best in his team and shine."
"Yeah, it feels good to watch him feel good," Akaashi said.
He looked once more at Bokuto, who was standing proudly after making a sharp cut shot.
"And when he's feeling down, you can't help but want to see him come back even stronger!"