Meaning

Nathan didn't catch Hopper at the gym when he went there with Sillia and his dad. But he hadn't expected her to come, so he wasn't surprised.

He was surprised, however, when she contacted him first the next morning, wondering if he wanted to go to the Triangle first thing. He had honestly thought he would have to convince her to fulfill her taxi duties.

Nathan just sent a thumbs-up before heading out. Anita was worried he would be gone for several days at once again. But with a free and personal chauffeur, Nathan didn't think that would happen again. Still, he didn't make any promises he couldn't keep.

Sillia was also curious and worried, but mostly curious. Unlike last time, Nathan hadn't come back covered in injuries. It didn't even look like he had fought, just like he had forgotten that he had a home.

But Nathan didn't give her an opportunity to ask what he was up to, so she didn't press it. She would find out sooner or later. For now, she would do her best to protect Anita, Terrence, and the restaurant.

Nathan left the restaurant with a full stomach and a lunch bag filled with even more fried chicken. He was happy.

He was even happier when he saw Hopper. She instantly sighed and looked pained when Nathan showed up with full and glossy cheeks and a shirt that should have been replaced with a larger one a little while ago.

But Nathan couldn't be bothered to go shopping. He didn't care, even if the largest clean shirt he had hugged his body.

Hopper, on the other hand, understood why Nathan weighed so much. He was well-trained. He wasn't as skinny as he looked. His muscles were just dense. The slightly baggy clothes from last time had hidden his silhouette.

"Let's go, birdie!"

Nathan smiled and reached out with his hands for Hopper to grab.

Hopper sighed and stepped into the air, grabbing Nathan before grunting as she picked him up.

"Seriously? How can you go up so much in weight in just one night?"

"Well, I went from being starved and dehydrated for a couple of days to an overflowing stomach."

Nathan spoke with an innocent tone as if he was just honestly answering Hopper's question.

"...Sorry."

"What was that?"

"What's your skill, by the way? I saw the mark you left on the Triangle. I don't think just anyone can do that, but I've never heard of you…Wait, what the fuck. I don't even know your name!"

Nathan grinned sarcastically.

"Well, that's what happens when you don't have any manners."

"And so?"

"What?"

"What's your name?"

"Oh."

Nathan paused for a moment, wondering if he should tell Hopper his real name. The first batch of the Vijang Syndicate, those who harassed the barber and his parents knew it. Nathan couldn't rule out the possibility of Rotgi knowing it by now, too. It was unlikely but not impossible.

Hopper hadn't shown any reactions when he mentioned the Vijang Syndicate last time. He had scanned her with Peerless Perception at full blast. If she had heard the name before or worked with them, she would have shown even a slight reaction.

Unless there was something wrong with her.

Nathan had tried to rile her up and investigate her state of mind, and it looked like she had the ordinary amount of screws loose. She was a normal person.

But Nathan had encountered people who, at first, second, and third glance were no different from ordinary people. Then, one day, they just woke up and murdered their family or friends without even blinking.

People like that were interesting. But more than that, they were flawless liars, even before their minds snapped.

Nathan was hesitant.

There was the fact that he didn't want the Vijang Syndicate to know he was on to their plans with the Triangle. If they knew, they wouldn't have the leeway to worry about causing too much of a fuss by silencing him and his family. That was the only reason Rotgi would have to hold back if he knew Nathan's identity.

But that aside, if Hopper wanted and was a part of the Syndicate, she could just drop him from the sky. Right now, it wasn't a fall Nathan could survive.

It was unlikely she was part of the Syndicate. At most, she would be working with them.

"I guess Yuander works."

For now, Nathan decided there wasn't an immediate threat to his life since it seemed Hopper also wanted to get inside the Triangle or discover what lay within it. Since she had discovered he could scratch the surface, she wouldn't try something until he had breached the Triangle.

"Yuander? What does it mean?"

"What do you mean? It's my name. It doesn't mean anything special."

"...Setting aside the fact that most names do have meanings, I thought it was your hero identity. Sorry about that, I guess."

"Wait, are you saying your name isn't Hopper?"

"Of course not. It looks like I hop when I use my skill. Thus, the great hero who saves all, Hopper, was born."

"Mhm."

Neither said anything until they arrived at the Triangle. For some reason, Hopper felt incredibly awkward. She tried to revive the conversation after letting go of Nathan, but she couldn't come up with anything to say.

So, she left quickly, even if she wanted to stay and watch Nathan work. She was curious about how he managed to do something that not even a vault breaker could do. But it would take a while for him to get through the Triangle, so she wasn't worried that she wouldn't find out how he did it.

After all, several days' work had left nothing but a finger-sized scar on the surface. To make enough for an entire human to enter or even to make a hole for a hand would take weeks at least.

Hopper's assessment was correct. It would have taken Nathan several weeks to get inside the Triangle if he used the same method as the one he used to make the first scar.

But he hadn't brought the dragon alloy he scraped away with him to look at when he was bored.