Reverse psychology

Massaging her now sore and bald head, Monika stopped before a makeshift medical tent. "Couldn't even drag her to a hospital? That not get brought over? I thought they said everything within the town's borders was brought over, assuming of course that's true, which I doubt it is. "

"Many don't think this is even real. Could just be a prank, which is what you're thinking, right?" Muki snickered as she stepped out of the shadows.

"You're the exact kind of renegade that would do something like this."

"Says the ex-maid who's gone full rebelfailure. I've had to spoonfeed myself ever since you left, which has been great for me. And you? All you've been doing is butting heads with your bosses, adding to your pink slip count. Need I mention you've got yourself labeled an official conspiracy theorist?  Even lost your hair and eyebrows too."

"That's a stylistic choice."

"Sure, all you do is resist acknowledging your faults. That kind of woman shouldn't be anywhere near the girl she still refuses to apologize to, so get the fuck out. You're not permitted to see my sister," Muki glared.

"She still considers me-"

"SHE'S JUST TOO NICE FOR HER OWN GOOD! Why? Why did she have to be the one to suffer? It's always the good that suffer and die first, while it's the rotten shit that always sticks the longest?"

Monika scowled and clenched her fist. It was true she had once worked for the Fuukuro family Muki and Yamane belonged to as a maid. That was where she had been raised, but sick of Muki's spoiled attitude at the time as well as the corrupt nature of the family, she had quit.  She then tried to expose the family's misdeeds, but quickly had herself branded a conspiracy theorist due to just how outlandish some of things were that she said. This led to her constantly job hunting, and her combative personality worsening by the day.  

Despite it all, Yamane had sought to remain friends with her, and was often her go-to source when she needed someone to vent to. But now, that might all be fading.

"Just let me see her! I'll apologize for quitting and not trying to transfer to be one of her maids or whatever!" Monika fumed as she began to push Muki aside.

Muki put up surprisingly little resistance as did all the personnel present as Monika seemingly made her way to Yamane. When she finally reached her, she nearly vomited. Hooked up to more wires than a server rack was a completely bandaged up dismembered humanoid shape. The bloodstained bandages might've hid the true extent of the carnage, but just the fact that Yamane had been reduced to such a state sent Monika to the floor, crying and vomiting.

"This is what we're up against. Those vermin didn't just have their way with her, they literally feasted upon her too, leaving her just barely alive, probably so she can bare their young. TELL ME WHY THIS HAPPENED TO HER!? I was the spoiled one, I had to change myself to become more accepted by society, yet the rare perfect-born girl is the one that suffers such inhumanity," Muki trembled as she walked in.

And no sooner did she do so did "Yamane" get pronounced dead. Monika was overwhelmed, so much in fact that her mind malfunctioned and her consciousness was lost. Muki quickly ordered the staff to take her far away, all while staring down at her phone. She remained like that for a good 10 minutes before finally exhaling a sigh, and heading outside to vape.

"Monika Kuita has been taken far away as ordered," a familiar vice from the shadows stated.

"I saw it on the cameras. Now burn everything inside without word getting out," Muki snarled as she vaped.

The woman in the shadows nodded and swiftly entered the tent without being seen. The illuminating light inside revealed her to be the stylist Monika had visited, but cosmetology was not her main profession, nor was this her main look. Ripping off her disguise, wavy blonde hair and a clear face replaced the brown hair and freckled face she had sported for her disguise. Without hesitation, she burned up everything inside, ensuring it was completely destroyed before exiting to rejoin Muki.

Muki took a quick peek inside, nodded, and began heading out with the woman close behind.

"Madam, did we need to go to such lengths?" the woman asked.

"Yes, Jenna, we did. If we didn't, she'd keep hounding us, and I can't have that."

"For mistress-"

"Shh! I have eyes and ears everywhere, so who's to say others don't either? Now get in the car. We're heading back to the mansion. I gotta see the world map for this shit if we don't want the rest of us to get fucked up like Yamane," Muki grumbled as a Tesla rolled up to the two.

The two then got in the car and headed back to the family mansion. Once on the road, Muki gave the all clear to converse freely. 

"It's been a while, madam. How have you been?" Jenna asked. 

"Dealing with shit. How many microchips you implant?" 

"None. Monika's been surveilling our place for weeks casing people to become wary of me."

"Tch, getting control of everyone is such a bitch." 

"People generally don't want to implant chips in their brains."

"But doing so makes it easier for me to surveil everything." 

"Are you still suffering from the incident-"

"Free-will time over."

Jenna let out a sigh and closed her eyes as Muki activated the microchip in her brain. 

"I hate talking about that shit. Already dealt with it, lost a fucking eye, done dwelling in the past, so shut up about it. We need to focus on the future, understand?" 

Jenna's eyes opened back up as her microchip was deactivated. "I heard the order clearly, madam." 

"Good. Now once we get back to the mansion, we fire up mission control to better assess things. This tablet can only show so much on it with it's size."

"If I might ask, why go to all these lengths to deceive Monika? Madam Yamane is alive and well, and is far from the state you had that dummy assume for her." 

"Guess I can explain that. Thing is I want her to make contact with Yamane." 

A dumbfounded look overtook Jenna's face. "Did you not just tell her never to see her ever again?"

"And that's part of the act. Monika's a conspiracy theorist that doesn't trust my guts, so naturally she won't believe a word or thing I show her. The bag's also planning to have Yamane make a public appearance once she's rested, which will further confuse Monika. Thus, the most logical course of action will be for her to make contact with Yamane. Don't get me wrong, I really do hate that Yamane's personality causes her to see that bitch as a friend, but you heard Monika's own words."

"'From the family, I trust only Yamane'." 

"Exactly. And with her conspiracy theorist senses, she should be able to determine if anything's wrong with Yamane."

"My apologies, but I don't follow, madam."

"Those elves seemingly healed her, but how do we know they didn't put a poison pill in her like Pulpetine did to the Stormclones with Order 99?" 

"Now you're the one sounding like a conspiracy theorist. Not everyone is a control-freak microchipper like you." 

Muki shot Jenna a nasty glare, but decided not to forcefully silence her. "Conspiracy theorists have a 50% chance of getting things right. I figure it's better than nothing to see if Yamane is truly fine. I really do care about her, but as you know I like to hide from the safety of my ivory cave. If Yamane truly is gone, then at the very least, I don't want to be caught off guard if she suddenly tries to kill me. Best we use Monika to test the waters than our own."

Jenna closed her eyes and shook her head. "Madam, you may have shed your spoiled and bratty persona following the incident, but all you've done is replace it with coldness and distrustfulness. None would want a leader like that ruling them." 

"Which is why I chip when I can. Free-will infatuation is always best, but if you want control, you need extra security. Now more than ever given we're in a foreign world. So just follow my orders. I'm a genius, and geniuses know how to do shit good."