[Q: 11 - Do you think you are better than other people?]
[Yes] ; [No]
Trying to get the hologram question over with as quickly as possible, Kaya gave an answer. An honest answer though.
Expecting to be ready there and then, Kaya’s mind was already shifting back to his laptop again. But then, another hologram popped up.
‘More questions again. Ah, what a bother.’ Kaya thought as he read what the next question was. ‘There goes my comfort.’
Kaya was tempted to just randomly answer the questions and get it over with, but for some reason, he couldn’t get himself to answer dishonestly.
He had already subconsciously set up that rule for himself when he first started answering questions honestly. And once Kaya started something, he wasn’t going to differ from it. That was a good trait to have, but to what extent Kaya took it, it was more akin to a curse.
[Q: 11.1 - Do you think some or most people are better than you?]
[Some people] ; [Most people]
[Q: 11.2 - Do you think you are below average as a human?]
[Yes] ; [No]
‘Why are there so many questions asking if I am below other people? One is enough, isn’t it?’
[Q: 11.3 - How would you rank yourself as a human compared to other people?]
[Worst 1% of people] ; [1% - 15%] ; [15% - 33%] ; [Average 33% - 67%] ; [67% - 85%]
; [85% - 99%] ; [Best 1% of people]
‘Yes, just rub it in, why don’t you.’ Kaya thought, a sigh leaving his lips.
[Q: 11.4 - Are you academically better than the average person?]
[Yes] ; [No]
‘Well, objectively yes.’
[Q: 11.5 - Are you better ~] [Yes]
[Q: 11.6 - Are you better ~] [Yes]
[Q: 11.7 - Are you better ~] [Yes]
[Q: 11.8 - Are you more liked than an average person?]
[Yes] ; [No]
‘Again …objectively yes.’ Kaya thought for the fifth time. ‘Why are there so many questions anyway?’
[Q: 11.9 - Would most people around you want to switch lives with you?]
[Yes] ; [No]
‘Well yes, but only because they know the fake me… and not my real thoughts and life.’
[Q: 11.6 - If you think you are below 99% of the population, why are you better than the average person in aspects 4 up to and including 8, and why would most people around you want to switch lives with you?]
[Open answer]
Kaya slightly flinched back seeing this. ‘An open answer again?’ He thought. And after reading the question, he only found it more weird. It seemed oddly specific. Were the after-questions different than normal questions?
Kaya didn’t want to think about it any longer, however. It was the weekend, his only time of rest. So, just wanting to get back to comfortably reading his novel, Kaya concentrated back on the question.
Once again, Kaya had an answer to this question, but for that, a lot of suppressed thoughts would have to surface again. And they were already surging up like last time. But this time Kaya just let them all come up like a tidal wave and began writing his answer.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
[Q: 11.6 - If you think you are below 99% of the population, why are you better than the average person in aspects 4 up to and including 8, and why would most people around you want to switch lives with you?]
[Being better than someone is not something that can be defined by any standard, really. Yes, I might be academically better than the average person and most people around me want to switch lives with me and so forth, but that does not change my perspective on how a person can be better than another person. For me, a person is their best if they are happy in life, pursuing whatever they desire. Being free while not hindering another person’s life. And frankly, I score low on that standard besides the latter part of the last one.]
As soon as Kaya had given his answer, the hologram disappeared from his sight again. His lingering thoughts, however, remained running rampant in his consciousness. This time, however, they were almost immediately suppressed as Kaya redirected his focus back to the novel he was reading. Instantly getting a tranquil mind.
Kaya got comfortable again as he knew he had more than half a day in front of him where he could just comfortably read his novel. One he had found the previous day that had more than a thousand chapters. This would keep him entertained for at least… this weekend.
The whole Saturday, Kaya just read the novel, following his normal routine of taking his laptop with him everywhere, showering, going to the toilet, and cooking. Only the basic necessities so that he could get comfortable behind his laptop for as long as possible.
And so did he the day after, on Sunday. This time the hologram questionnaire also left him at peace, asking a trivial question.
[Q: 12 - Have you ever gone a week without showering?]
[Yes] ; [No]
Kaya was relieved that the question today didn’t bother him. What did bother him though, was that it was Sunday, which meant that he would have to go to school tomorrow. But that wasn’t what was bothering him right now.
Today, his groceries would be delivered. Kaya ordered an exact amount of groceries every week and perfectly planned out what he was going to eat that week so that he wouldn’t order too little that he had to go buy something and not too much that he had to throw away anything.
Ordering this wasn’t the problem, however. The problem was that he had to interact with someone. This was a bit contradictory, but Kaya had come to have social anxiety even though he interacts with so many people at school. Kaya himself didn’t know why he was afraid of these interactions. He did have an inkling though, but he rather not go down that path.
So instead, Kaya put this fact off his mind for as long as he could. Just postponing the inevitable so his mood wasn’t ruined for all that long.
But now, it being 15:55, just five minutes before the delivery normally came, he couldn’t ignore it anymore. Kaya quickly ran to his closet, put on some formal clothes, and put his laptop aside.
Now, sitting on the edge of his bed, waiting. Just staring at the door in anticipation. This didn’t seem like a big deal, but Kaya’s heartbeat was becoming heavier as the seconds passed, his breath even becoming a little broken.
And then, Kaya’s heart missed a beat entirely as he heard footsteps coming towards his door. And a moment after, his doorbell tore up the silence in his room.
“Co-ming!” Kaya yelled, stumbling over this single word. The one word he kept practicing in his head for the last five minutes.
Going red from embarrassment, Kaya waited a few seconds before walking to the door. Trying to steady his heartbeat and breathing in a futile attempt. He also couldn’t wait anymore as the delivery person knocked on the door again.
In front of the door, Kaya took one last deep breath and opened it. Kaya tried to keep himself together and act normal, forcing a smile at the deliveryman as he got handed the groceries. The groceries, however, were heavier than Kaya had expected, pulling his arm to the ground with it.
“Oh, are you okay?” The delivery man said, reaching his arm towards the bag of groceries to help. But before he could even help, Kaya mustered up all his strength and yanked the bag full of groceries inside.
Kaya couldn’t help but pant a little. Partly from the exertion, but mostly because he saw the stranger’s hand coming towards him. Kaya’s face had also become even redder. This time not from embarrassment though. Just purely from withholding the utter disgust, he felt throughout his whole body while trying to maintain a smile.
“Card please.” Kaya said under a whispered breath, his hand coming forward with his card.
The deliveryman took a good second before he pulled out the card reader, his focus drawn on Kaya’s body and face. Kaya had a small frame for his age, not having hit puberty yet despite being 16 years old. His face was average but couldn’t be seen that well, only slightly revealing that it had become bright red, almost purple.
The expression the deliveryman made from seeing him now was too much for Kaya to handle, his smile quickly coming undone. An expression of disgust quickly began to replace it. But before this could become visible to the deliveryman, Kaya had already quickly swiped his card and thrown the door in the deliveryman’s face.
Running to the toilet, Kaya couldn’t help but empty his stomach over that interaction, bringing with it images and memories he would rather be burned from his mind.
In the coming hour, Kaya lay on the cold bathroom floor trying to calm himself down, suppressing everything that had surfaced again. And when Kaya had finally suppressed everything, it still left a bad aftertaste. And not only from the vomit.
Even when he got back to reading his novel, he still couldn’t enjoy it. He just couldn’t get comfortable anymore. Even this couldn’t bring him peace at the moment.
Now that this didn’t bring him anything positive like it should, Kaya just grabbed a random book from his backpack and started working ahead on whatever subject it was that he had grabbed.
‘If I won’t enjoy anything I do right now, better do something that will allow me to have more free time when I can enjoy it again.’ Kaya thought, pushing his pen against his notebook harder than usual.