Held |There's something in the water. . . .|

NO

(Same day, 12:11 P.m.)

Izuku scrubbed himself off in the creek and went
back to Uncle Yagi's house.

   It was too hot to be inside, so he sat on the
porch. He sat there a long time. He wondered
what Mama and Papa were doing. He pictured
Mama, with her soft smile and laughing eyes.

And Papa, who always woke up with a happy
face, even when they were out of money and
had to pack up to all start over again.

   Why had they left him here?

He was so deep in his gloomy thoughts that
at first he didn't see Uncle Yagi hurrying up the
walk.

   "There you are!" he said, catching his breath.
He sat down next to Izuku.
   "I thought you were going to be at the diner
all day," Izuku said.
  "I was," Uncle Yagi said, and then settled
back.

    They didn't say anything for a few minutes.
    "So there was some excitement at the creek, I
hear," Uncle Yagi said.
   Izuku's heart sank into his boots.
    "Poor Tenya came down the Street
in his drawers," Uncle Yagi continued.
"He was screaming about the Creek Devil. His
mama called Dr. Shuzenji."

    Izuku sighed. He didn't look at Uncle Yagi.
He'd probably already sent a message to Mama
and Papa, and was getting ready to ship Izuku
directly to New York. Izuku couldn't wait to start
packing.
    "I went too far," Izuku said.
    "I guess you did," Uncle Yagi said.
    Izuku took a deep breath. A spider scurried
across the floor and disappeared into one of the
cracks. Lucky spider.

   There was a strange sound. Izuku looked at
Uncle Yagi, whose face was beet red. Was he
choking on spit?
    No. He was laughing! His laughter exploded
through that air. He pounded his chest a few
times. "Sorry," he said through his guffaws.
"But that look on Tenya's  face . . ." He leaned
forward, slapping his leg, shaking his head. "It
was a good one," Uncle Yagi sputtered. "Maybe
a little too gruesome. But darned good."

    Izuku wanted to laugh alone with Uncle Yagi.
But he kept thinking of that furious look on
Katsuki's face when Izuku came out of the water.

   Eijiro was right. Izuku wasn't worth it. He
wasn't even worth a punch in the nose. He had
ruined everything!

   Tears ran down his face. He turned away
from Uncle Yagi, but it was too late.
   Uncle Yagi stopped laughing and put his
hand on Izuku's shoulder. He waited for Izuku to
stop crying.

    What a fool he was, blubbering like this! Over
a stupid prank.
      "It's all right," Uncle Yagi said.

      "No," Izuku said, standing up. "I need to
leave."

   "Where are you going?" Uncle Yagi said.
   "To New York," Izuku said.
   Uncle Yagi stared at him.
   "I don't belong here," Izuku said.
   "The heck you don't!" Uncle Yagi said. "You
belong here. Like I knew you would. Why do
you think I begged your mama to let you stay
with me?"

  "But I thought Mama asked 𝘺𝘰𝘶," Izuku said.
  "Are you kidding? I've been begging for years.
I wrote about a hundred letters, a few calls
too."
  "Why?" Izuku said
  Uncle Yagi looked at Izuku like he'd asked for
the answer to two plus two.

    "I thought maybe you were tired of moving
around so much," Uncle Yagi said, pulling
Izuku back down to sit next to him on the porch
step. "And there's another reason. You and I
are buddies, kiddo. Always were. I was lonely
without you all these years."

   Izuku almost laughed. With all the people
who loved Uncle Yagi, who crowded around
him every day at the diner, who laughed at his
jokes and listened to his stories, how could he
be lonely?

     Yet Uncle Yagi's eyes, usually all crinkled up
and merry, we're big and serious. He meant it.
    "Did I ever tell you what happened after I
hurt my leg?" Uncle Yagi said.
"I moved to the other side of Japan.
I quit this town. I just wanted to get lost.
I couldn't stand the way people looked at me here,
like they pitied me. Or like I'd let them down
by not becoming a big baseball star."
   "Mama never told me that," Izuku said.

   "Well it's true. But you know what? I missed
this place. And I'll tell you what I learned: A
person has to face up to things. You never solve
anything by running away."

   Izuku knew Uncle Yagi was right. But how
could Izuku stay here with the guys hating him
so much

    Uncle Yagi seemed to read his thoughts.
"You'll find a way to make it up to those friends
of yours," he said.

"I know you will."