She's not sure, but Meg is acting suspicious.

Melissa paused, holding a dull knife and about to open an envelope.

"Meg?" She called out, but made no move to get up. "Are you okay in there?"

"... Huh? ... Oh, uh... I-I think, y-yeah!" Melissa's youngest daughter said from the kitchen, the tone of her usually flat and disinterested voice sounding as if the girl had just figured out how to speak for the first time in her life. "I-I, uh... I almost tripped over m-myself, is all... Y-Yeah."

"Oh... Well, try to be more careful, I guess." She shrugged, then ever-so-slowly turned back to the floating hologram hovering at an angle above her lap.

Melissa worried that her youngest daughter may have seen something on that old gadget that she shouldn't have, or something of the sort. The poor mousy girl clearly had an addiction to porn, not unlike the majority of the world nowadays, and it'd be a shame if Meg found yet another gadget that allowed her to view such explicit material. She loved her daughter dearly, and sympathized with her on some level, but it was important to show restraint and have dignity in their lust-fueled society if one were to stand out.

Once upon a time, the world and its people were much more humble, simple, and most importantly, self-respecting, before the explosion and rapid acceleration of technology.

Nearly three centuries ago, it all started with the invention of telephones in the early 1700's, then the internet came along before the beginning of the 1800's, then social media shortly after, then AI almost immediately afterwards, then nanotechnology by the 1900's, and now with the ease of access to full-scale mind and body modification technology at the turn of the 21st century, it was hard not to exist as a living, breathing sex toy. If anything, Melissa got off easy with how much Meg limits herself to watching porn and being plugged into virtual games, as unhealthy as they were to one's ambition to do anything else, but it was still a better alternative than going out and completely losing herself in mindless orgies and sex parties.

Hell, if there were more than just women on their planet, then maybe people would show more restraint in engaging in sexual acts with the most readily available stranger they happen to stumble across in the street. Especially in the last 20-something years, successful marriage rates across the globe were practically nonexistent, monogamy was something to be laughed at by mainstream society, and the open sexualization of the human form had been normalized to such a point that it was hard to find something to watch on TV that wasn't borderline (or blatant) pornography in this day in age.

It was safe to say that romance was officially dead in Melissa's eyes.

While she still wanted to spit anytime her horrible ex-wife ever crossed her mind, Melissa longed for the simpler days when dating could still be a much more personal and private exchange, and less of a mess of empty flings and enhanced sex. Back when one could spend her entire life with a single person and start a family because it was special to find someone you could open up to and be **** with. She was just glad that two out of her three daughters were on the right track in life, prioritizing their education and reputation over prostitution and being enslaved to more powerful and ambitious women.

Compartmentalizing her negative thoughts, Melissa quickly shook her head and focused on more important things.

On the translucent hologram tablet in front of her, she smiled at her meager electric bill. Because electricity was so plentiful in their society, she was able to keep the central air down at an ice-cold at sixty-degrees all through the summer without needing to worry about its cheap costs, much to her three daughters' annoyance, but it did well in making sure that they were all dressed when walking around the house. The last thing she needed was any of them getting indecent thoughts towards one-another.

Judging by the way she's seen Meg looking at the three of them in passing, Melissa figured it was too late for her in that department, but that doesn't mean there was any reason to encourage those sorts of taboo desires.

Speak of the Devil, and she shall appear, Melissa thought to herself with a sigh as she spotted Meg poking her head out from around the corner leading to the kitchen.

"Yes ma'am?" She asked, turning to face her daughter. "Can I help you with something?"

Melissa could only see half of Meg's cute rounded face, but she could've sworn that she saw her visible eye widen and her full lips curl into a grin before the young blonde ducked out of sight.

Melissa sighed once more.

"What am I going to do with that girl?"