After Rahul repeatedly declined the overweight SHO's absurd offer to turn him into a local news sensation, he grabbed Anjali and practically escaped the police station.
By the time they stepped out, the sky had already turned pitch black; they had unknowingly spent the entire afternoon inside.
A rich, mouth-watering aroma of grilling seekh kebabs drifted over from a nearby street stall, causing Rahul's empty stomach to let out a loud, uncontrollable grumble.
"Come on, Rahul. Let's go get you some food," Anjali said, hearing his stomach protest. She smiled and immediately pulled him toward the busy food stalls across the chaotic street.
Dhaka's traffic was just as relentless at night as it was during the day. As Anjali tugged Rahul across the unlit road, a battered CNG auto-rickshaw suddenly swerved out from behind a bus, speeding directly toward them.
Rahul's reflexes kicked in instantly. He grabbed Anjali's hand and yanked her back hard just as the auto-rickshaw flew past, the rusted metal practically grazing the fabric of her traditional suit.
With the force of the pull, Anjali spun around—almost like a perfectly choreographed move in a Bollywood slow-motion sequence—and crashed straight into Rahul's solid chest.
He instinctively wrapped his arms around her to steady them both.
Pressed tightly against him, Anjali could hear the steady, powerful thumping of Rahul's heartbeat. She could also smell the faint, clean scent of hotel soap and laundry detergent clinging to his shirt.
For Anjali, the deafening honking of the traffic and the suffocating heat of the street simply ceased to exist. In her world, time froze, and there was only her and Rahul.
"Are you okay?"
Feeling how soft and delicate she was against him, Rahul gently pushed the dazed Anjali back to a safe distance, his voice laced with concern.
"Um... y-yes, I'm fine..."
A massive wave of shyness crashed over Anjali's face, turning it a deep crimson. She took a few shaky breaths, desperately trying to calm her racing heart.
Being held in Rahul's arms just now was the first time in her entire life she had ever been in such close physical contact with a guy. And it wasn't just any guy; it was someone with absolutely flawless, jaw-dropping looks!
Her heart pounded so violently against her ribs she was afraid he could hear it. She secretly wished those few seconds could have been frozen in time forever.
"Well, let's go get those kebabs. I don't have a single rupee to my name, so I'll just have to shadow the VIP's daughter around and mooch free food!"
Rahul deliberately emphasized his broke status to lighten the highly charged, awkward atmosphere. He could easily tell Anjali was completely stunned; her arms had gone stiff from sheer nervousness. She was clearly a complete rookie when it came to romance or handling boys.
"It's fine! I have plenty of cash!"
Saying this, Anjali tightly hooked her hands around Rahul's arm, much more cautious now as they finished crossing the street.
While they sat at the stall eating the spicy roasted meat, Anjali was completely distracted. She picked at her food, trying to speak several times but nervously swallowing her words before they could leave her mouth.
After they finished dinner, Rahul suggested heading back to his hotel.
Although Anjali looked visibly reluctant to end the night, she nodded, hailed an auto-rickshaw, and insisted on dropping him off.
During the bumpy ride through the city, Anjali quietly leaned her head against Rahul's broad shoulder, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. Rahul simply let her rest, not wanting to disturb the girl who had bought him lunch, dinner, and completely bulldozed a police station for him today.
Soon, the rickshaw pulled up to the entrance of Rahul's budget hotel in Gulshan.
Anjali stepped out of the vehicle with him. As they stood on the pavement, about to part ways for the night, Anjali—who had clearly been mustering her courage for the entire ride—suddenly looked up and asked:
"Rahul... what do you think of me?"
A warm, genuine smile spread across Rahul's face.
"I think you're incredible. You stood up for me when nobody else would, and you kept me fed."
"But more than that, you're incredibly thoughtful. You actually went out of your way to hunt down a clean spoon and fork for me in the slums." Rahul tapped the pocket where he had kept the cutlery earlier and spoke with complete sincerity.
Hearing Rahul praise her so warmly, Anjali beamed, her eyes turning into happy crescents.
"Then... can I see you again tomorrow?"
Rahul thought about it for a second and nodded.
"If you have the time, of course. I'd love to see you."
"Perfect! I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning. Just think about where you want to go!" Anjali flashed him a dazzlingly sweet smile and turned to head back to the waiting rickshaw.
But just as her hand touched the metal frame of the auto, she suddenly remembered something.
She quickly dug into her designer bag, pulled out a thick wad of Taka notes, and ran back to Rahul.
"I almost forgot! You don't have any cash on you." She shoved the money toward him. "Take this for now."
Rahul immediately grabbed her wrist, gently pushing the money away, his expression turning stern.
"Anjali, absolutely not. I don't want your money."
"If I wanted a free handout, I would have taken the bribe the SHO was trying to give me this afternoon."
"But how are you going to eat tomorrow morning without any cash?" Anjali asked, her brow furrowed with genuine worry.
"Aren't you coming to find me tomorrow?" Rahul said, giving her a sly wink.
Anjali's eyes widened as she suddenly understood. A massive wave of secret delight bloomed in her chest.
"Oh! I get it!"
"Don't worry, I'll take you out to the best breakfast place tomorrow!"
With that, she practically skipped back to the auto-rickshaw, waving at him enthusiastically as it sputtered to life and drove away into the Dhaka night.
Rahul stood on the curb, watching the taillights disappear before turning around and walking into the hotel.
As he crossed the lobby, he noticed the reception was still being manned by the two male clerks. Relieved, he slowed his pace, hopped into the elevator, swiped his card, and finally entered his room.
Absolutely exhausted from the rollercoaster of a day, Rahul threw his camera on the desk and collapsed face-first onto the bed.
He pulled out his smartphone, which he had barely looked at all day. The lock screen was an absolute disaster zone of notifications.
Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook were practically overflowing with unread messages and missed audio calls from Samina.
Damn it, no wonder my phone didn't buzz once today, Rahul realized, dragging a hand down his face. I left it on 'Do Not Disturb' after sleeping in this morning! He tapped open Samina's Instagram DMs and skimmed through the endless wall of text. They were all variations of: Where are you? Why aren't you replying? Did you go out? Who are you with? Checking WhatsApp, it was the exact same frantic energy.
Staring at the glowing screen, Rahul let out a heavy sigh of helplessness.
Just as he was typing out a quick apology, he couldn't help but mentally compare Samina and Anjali.
To be brutally honest, compared to the slightly self-centered, intensely controlling, and bossy heiress energy of Samina, Rahul vastly preferred Anjali's gentle, quietly fiercely protective personality.
At the very least, Anjali knew how to genuinely care for someone else's comfort without making it about her own ego.
But at the end of the day, his appreciation for her was just that—admiration.
He had never once looked at either of them as 'targets' to conquer. He was just riding the wave of his new life. Everything so far remained strictly in the hazy territory of ambiguity.
Even if he wanted to settle down, Rahul knew he couldn't actually commit to a girl like Anjali. She came from a fiercely traditional, deeply conservative South Asian family. For girls from her background, you only gave your heart to one person, and marriage was an unbreakable, sacred lifelong vow.
With his chaotic, overpowered Succubus System practically forcing him into a global player lifestyle, how could he possibly bear the weight of such pure, profound devotion?
Furthermore, he was only staying in Bangladesh for a month. He might even leave sooner if he got the right travel footage.
The best he could do was make them feel comfortable, safe, and happy during the limited time he had with them. They were feeding him and protecting him, so providing them with top-tier 'Emotional Value' and companionship was the least he could do.
And if providing that emotional value allowed him to harvest a few Charm Points along the way... well, wasn't that a fair trade?
Thinking of this, Rahul mentally summoned his System Panel.
The 1 Charm Point he had spent the night before to buy the 'Fluent Bengali' language pack had magically reappeared!
Moreover, his Proficiency had ticked up from 2 to 3.
Wait... did that actually count as 'Successful Ambiguity'? Anjali hadn't even kissed his cheek like Samina had! The baseline logic this System used to judge romantic progress seemed to be based on pure, unpredictable metaphysics!
Rahul lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, thinking it over carefully.
He realized that when he had yanked Anjali into his arms to save her from the auto-rickshaw, there had been a very real, electric spark of romantic tension between them. Not to mention how fiercely protective she had been at the police station, indulging his violent venting without a second thought.
The emotional connection and the physical closeness... it definitely crossed the line into deeply ambiguous territory.
Yeah, that has to be it. It measures genuine emotional and romantic tension, not just physical acts. He decided to hoard this 1 Charm Point for now. He was going to save up until he had the 5 points required to unlock the 'Master-Level Combat Skills'. After staring down slum thugs today, he knew he desperately needed to know how to fight.
At this point, Rahul, who had been running purely on adrenaline and biryani all day, felt a massive wave of drowsiness pull him under.
He tossed his phone onto the nightstand and dragged himself into the cramped bathroom to wash the sweat and grime off his face.
He had originally intended to text Samina back, but by the time he dried his face with a towel, his brain had completely shut down.
Rahul collapsed back onto the lumpy mattress and was deeply asleep before his head even fully settled into the pillow.