the city felt no different from yesterday.
The same commute hour.
The same crowds.
The same news captions.
Across the public information layer,
today’s major headline scrolled by.
A majority of experts state that
this policy will have a positive
impact in the mid to long term.
A few people glanced up at the video.
“Still, they say things will get better in the long run.”
“That’s what everyone’s saying.”
Without anyone leading,
nearly identical phrases flowed out.
Rowan slowed his steps.
The sentences were precise—
as if copied.
The tone, the wording,
almost identical to the news caption from moments ago.
…Is this a thought I’m having right now?
Rowan asked himself.
Inside the elevator
on the way to the office.
A colleague standing beside him spoke
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
with a sigh in his voice.
“Things are really rough with the economy these days.”
When Rowan nodded,
the colleague continued immediately.
“But the stats say
perceived anxiety levels have dropped a lot.”
It sounded like reassurance,
yet it carried no warmth.
They said they were anxious,
but didn’t look anxious.
They said things were hard,
but gave no reason why.
Only then did Rowan realize—
the emotions people spoke of
weren’t what they were feeling now,
but sentences already delivered to them.
It was evening.
Rowan walked slowly,
blended into the flow of people heading home.
As always,
a video was playing
in the middle of the street.
“This is super hot right now.”
“You’ll totally relate.”
Captions slid past.
A man nodded,
as if confirming his own thoughts.
A woman nearby swiped through the short clip
and said,
“Yeah.”
That word struck Rowan as strange.
Did she really feel that?
Or did she learn that she felt it?
He looked around.
No one asked why.
Sentences that arrived
directly at conclusions,
without questions.
People didn’t seem uncomfortable.
They smiled, nodded,
and returned their gaze
to their own screens.
Emotions—
quietly accepted.
This wasn’t a matter
of individual personality.
The video ended,
and people resumed walking
as if nothing had happened.
Only Rowan
remained standing there for a moment.
And for the first time,
this question surfaced.
Did that emotion come
from within them—
or was it simply delivered to them?
The question still had no answer.
But this time,
it didn’t fade away easily.
This wasn’t confusion.
It was closer to certainty.
This isn’t because I’m strange.
Maybe in this structure,
not feeling anything
is what’s considered normal.
Rowan slowly drew in a breath.
Now, only one question remained.
Then—
who built this structure,
and by what criteria
were the options being chosen?
That question
stayed with him.
who seems strange.
everyone responds
in the same way
is difficult to ignore.
is no longer directed
at individuals—
the world itself.