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Characters: Johnny, Yosaku, Genzo, Doctor Nako

Genre: Humor

Warnings: Parental protectiveness, over excessive use of run-on sentences, repetitions and denial for the sake of survival

Rating: K

#6 - That big haul

It's a big one and it's going to feed them for a while. The pay for this is going to be exceptionally well and they can finally fix the roof of their little hut, just in time before the storms start up again. Probably, they can even afford to buy a gift or two.

Not that there's anyone to whom one or both of them could or would want to give a gift in the first place for whatever reasons.

It's certainly not a competition of sorts with the object to obtain anyone's affections.

No, sir, perish the thought!

If, for some reason, they will end up buying shiny trinkets which might please a certain other person in which there is or might be an interest going beyond the boundaries of friendship, there definitely is no such person existing on this particular island first and foremost. Genzo is (and has been) very adamant about the lack of existence of such a person, basically a non-person, being understood beyond a doubt and ever since they've given up bounty hunting to be fishers, they've made sure it was understood that they understood things that were to be understood. Understood?

It is important to keep in mind that apart from the fact that no person exists on the island in which either of them has any interest at all that goes beyond the barely acceptable boundaries of friendship, such a non-person is most certainly not an inhabitant of Cocoyashi Village nor is such a non-existent non-person of the female persuasion or in fact part of what Genzo considers his family. This is a huge point of concern, too, because Doctor Nako makes it a point to point this out whenever certain young fishers who need to have the obvious pointed out to them regularly at needle point come for his assistance and the old man makes excellent points when he points them into the right direction, that is to say away from any non-existent non-female non-islanders or non-inhabitants of Cocoyashi Village that Genzo does not consider himself to be somewhat of a parent to or on which Doctor Nako does not feel obliged to keep tabs and in whom there is most definitely not an interest of any sort that goes even so far as a hair's breadth beyond friendship. The doctor's point is made and taken. Pointedly so.

In fact, going so far as to imply that in the extremely unlikely event that this non-existent non-female non-person, who is neither part of Genzo's non-existent non-family nor even remotely close to being a non-person that Doctor Nako might feel responsible for would actually exist (which of course it doesn't), this non-existent non-female non-person could possibly become subject to anything other but the most polite, professional and respectfully distanced customer relationship, is preposterous! And in any case, this non-existent non-female non-person who is not part of Genzo's non-existent family and not subject to Doctor Nako's sentiments of responsibility, who would of course not be the subject of any unacceptable friendly notions other than the aforementioned most professional customer relationship would and could never, were such a non-existent non-female non-person truly to exist for whatever inane, ludicrous and outrageous reason, ever happen to be Nojiko.

Never ever.

But it's a big haul and it's going to pay well and there can be no harm in making sure that Nojiko knows that they appreciate her continued trust into their upstarting fishing business.

Fish make lousy gifts, anyway, and Nojiko did seem to like those earrings. A lot.