"Yeah, yeah, lover boy," Monu replied with a grin in his voice. "Take the day off. Have fun. But be ready for hell the day after tomorrow."
"Thank you, Bhaiya!" Rohan beamed, hanging up the phone, completely unaware that his coaches already knew everything.
As he tossed his phone onto the bed, a sudden, terrifying thought crossed his mind. Wait a minute, Rohan thought, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Monu Bhaiya and Vikram Bhaiya they are going to roast me alive in the gym. Next time I meet Ananya, I seriously need to check my perimeter like a commando. Those two muscle-heads are definitely spying on me.
The Next Day
The morning sun filtered brightly through Rohan’s window. He woke up earlier than usual, grabbing his phone from the nightstand. There was a fresh WhatsApp notification glowing on the screen.
Ananya: Meet me at the mall entrance at 9:00 AM sharp. Don’t be late.
Rohan: Okay Madam! See you there!
He jumped out of bed, taking extra care to style his usually messy hair and putting on his best casual shirt. He sprayed a little extra deodorant, checking himself in the mirror one last time. Satisfied, he grabbed his wallet and tiptoed toward the front door.
"And where exactly are you sneaking off to, looking so dressed up?"
Rohan froze. He slowly turned around to see his mother standing in the kitchen doorway, holding a spatula and eyeing him with intense maternal suspicion.
"Oh! Maa !" Rohan stammered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I’m just... you know. I am going out to meet a friend! He... he... he..."
His mother narrowed her eyes, completely unconvinced by his nervous laughter. But before she could interrogate him further, Amit Roy walked out of the living room, reading the morning newspaper.
His father lowered the paper, looked at Rohan’s perfectly combed hair, and then at his nervous, sweating face. A knowing, amused smile spread across Amit’s face.
"Come here, Rohan," his father said smoothly.
Rohan cautiously walked over. Amit reached into his pocket, pulled out a crisp five-hundred rupee note, and subtly pressed it into Rohan’s palm.
"Keep some extra money with you," Amit whispered, winking slyly. "Make sure you feed your ’friend’ something nice, okay? Have a good time. And don’t worry, I used to use the exact same ’going to meet a friend’ excuse with my parents too."
Rohan’s face instantly flushed crimson. He shoved the money into his pocket and bolted out the front door. "Thanks, Baba! Bye, Maa!"
Back in the apartment, his mother stood in the kitchen, blinking in pure confusion. She looked at her husband. "What friend is he meeting so early? Kabir usually comes here."
Amit just chuckled, raising his newspaper back up. "Ah, let the boy be. He’s growing up."
Ten Minutes Later
Rohan jogged up to the mall entrance. Standing near the glass doors, wearing a pretty, simple top and jeans, was Ananya. She looked up from her watch, her analytical eyes softening the moment she saw him.
"Exactly 8:58 AM," Ananya noted, a small smile playing on her lips. "Good job."
"I told you I wouldn’t be late," Rohan grinned, catching his breath. He looked at her, feeling a sudden flutter in his chest. "Okay, Ananya Madam. It’s your day. What do you want to do?"
Ananya tapped her chin, pondering the options with the seriousness of a military general planning an invasion. "Let’s go to the cinema, Rohan. Let’s watch Spider-Fat Man: Brand Old Days."
Rohan blinked. "Spider-Fat Man? Really?"
"Yes," she replied firmly. "I have heard the character arc of a superhero dealing with high cholesterol is surprisingly deep."
"Okay, okay," Rohan laughed, leading her inside.
He walked up to the ticket counter, pulling out his wallet. As he saw the glowing red price on the screen for two premium tickets and a tub of popcorn, a single tear formed in his heart. My poor wallet, Rohan wept internally as he handed over the cash. How much more is this day going to cost me?
They went in and watched the movie. Sitting next to each other in the dark theater, their shoulders brushing, neither of them paid much attention to the overweight superhero on screen. Rohan was too busy hyper-focusing on the fact that he was actually holding Ananya’s hand.
Two hours later, they walked out of the theater into the bright mall atrium.
"That was nice," Ananya said, adjusting her glasses. "What should we do now?"
Rohan puffed his chest out, trying to sound mature and worldly. He remembered seeing couples in movies and older boys in the neighborhood talking about their dates.
"Well," Rohan said confidently, "after the movie, I always see adult couples going straight to a hotel. So, let’s go to a hotel."
Ananya stopped dead in her tracks.
The analytical gears in her head screeched to a violent halt. A deep, furious red color exploded across her face. Her hazel eyes widened in sheer, unadulterated shock and anger.
SMACK!
Ananya’s fist came down like a lightning bolt, striking Rohan directly on the top of his head.
"OW!" Rohan shrieked, clutching his skull and staggering back. People in the mall turned to look at them. "What was that for?!"
"Have you lost your mind?!" Ananya hissed furiously, her fists clenched. "I am sixteen years old, and you are just fifteen! And you are talking about going to a hotel with me?! You shameless idiot!"
Rohan looked at her furious, blushing face and suddenly realized the horrific misunderstanding.
"No! No, no, no!" Rohan panicked, waving his hands wildly. "I meant a hotel to EAT! A restaurant! You know, like the Grand Darbar Family Hotel down the street where they serve butter chicken! Just for food!"
Ananya froze. The intense anger immediately vanished, leaving behind an unbearable, overwhelming embarrassment. She looked down at the floor, covering her fiercely blushing face with her hands.
"Oh..." Ananya mumbled, her voice muffled. "So sorry... I thought you meant something entirely different."
Rohan rubbed his head, letting out a heavy sigh. "You watch too many TV dramas, Madam. Come on, let’s go eat."
They walked to a nice restaurant down the street. They laughed, talked about the Under-19 trials, and completely enjoyed the food. But as the waiter approached their table with a little black leather folder, the dread returned to Rohan.
This is it, Rohan thought, sweating bullets as he reached for his wallet. All my life savings... gone in a single afternoon.
But before his fingers could even touch the bill, Ananya’s hand darted out. She pulled a crisp note from her purse and placed it in the folder.
"Hey!" Rohan protested, trying to pull the folder back. "Why are you paying? I’m the guy here! I have money!"
Ananya smoothly pulled the folder out of his reach and handed it to the waiter. She turned to Rohan, her expression gentle but absolute.
"Today, I just want to be the one taking care of things," Ananya said softly. "You keep your money, Rohan. Save it for your Under-19 selections. You might need extra gear, diet supplements, or travel fare. Let me handle this."
Rohan looked at her, his heart swelling. He didn’t argue anymore. He just smiled and nodded.
They spent the rest of the day walking through the park, eating ice cream, and just enjoying the rare, uninterrupted peace of being together. It was perfect.
11:00 PM - The Roy Residence
The front door clicked shut as Rohan finally returned home. The apartment was quiet.
His mother peeked out from the kitchen, a plate in her hand. "Rohan, you’re late. Quickly, go wash your hands. I’ll heat up dinner for you."
Rohan smiled warmly, taking his shoes off. "It’s okay, Maa. My stomach is totally full. I ate a lot outside. I’m just going to sleep!"
He walked into his room, closed the door, and collapsed onto his bed with a heavy, contented sigh. It had been the best day of his entire life. He closed his eyes, replaying the memory of Ananya holding his hand in the theater.
Suddenly, a sharp, blinding red light pierced through his closed eyelids.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Rohan’s eyes snapped open. Hovering directly above his face, the transparent blue interface of the AI System was flashing a violent, aggressive crimson red. A massive warning sign pulsed on the screen, accompanied by a blaring alarm only he could hear.
[CRITICAL SYSTEM WARNING!]
[Daily Physical Conditioning Tasks: INCOMPLETE]
USER VIOLATION: Coach Mode active. No days off permitted without prior System authorization!
[ULTIMATUM INITIATED]
You have exactly 59 Minutes and 42 Seconds to complete your Daily Tasks.
PENALTY FOR FAILURE: The System will forcefully SHUT DOWN for 15 Days. All attribute buffs and skill enhancements will be deactivated.
Rohan stared at the glowing red numbers counting down.
59:40...
59:39...
The Under-19 state selection trials were in less than two weeks. If he lost his System buffs now, he would lose his raw pace, his precision, and everything he had built. He would be walking into the most important trial of his life completely blind.
"You have got to be kidding me..." Rohan whispered, the color completely draining from his face.
He had less than an hour. And he hadn’t done a single push-up.
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