The tea had gone cold.
Aarav didn't notice.
He sat at a roadside stall, phone resting near his hand, gaze fixed somewhere beyond the visible.
The interface hovered in his vision.
TREND ALERT: PORTABLE POWER BANKSDEMAND SURGE PROBABILITY: 87% (WITHIN 48 HOURS)
"Why?" he murmured.
CAUSE FACTORS:Increased travel activityLocal event surgeSupply delay detected
Aarav leaned back slowly.
This wasn't guesswork.
This was pattern recognition at a scale he couldn't replicate alone.
"How much do I invest?"
RECOMMENDED: 70% OF CURRENT CAPITAL
He frowned slightly.
"Seventy?"
RISK: 18%EXPECTED RETURN: HIGH
For a moment, doubt surfaced.
Not fear.
Calculation.
Because this—
This wasn't small anymore.
He closed his eyes briefly.
Then opened them.
"Do it."
The decision landed cleanly.
Within hours, most of his capital had shifted into inventory.
Boxes stacked in his room.
Waiting.
The first day—
Nothing happened.
The second—
Demand began.
Slow at first.
Then faster.
"Power bank hai?"
"Fast charging?"
Aarav didn't rush.
He adjusted pricing carefully.
Watched the movement.
Then—
The spike hit.
Demand surged.
Supply tightened.
He sold steadily.
Not all at once.
Not too early.
At the peak—
He cleared his stock.
Back in his room, he sat on the floor, leaning against the wall.
Profit: over ₹18,000.
He exhaled slowly.
"This isn't normal."
No.
It wasn't.
It was leverage.
And leverage—
Changed everything.