Elder brother's garrison

"Let me help you."

"No need, I can do it."

"How about this, we'll give it to her at the welcome party."

"kindness."

"...Does it still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

I said hand.

"...Yeah, it hurts a lot."

“After all, forces are reciprocal,” Lexington said with a smile. “Just think of it as a way to improve circulation.”

After finishing tidying up, Lexington walked up to Little White and gently stroked its head.

"amazing."

"...Where?"

"tolerance."

“That’s my sister-in-law, how could I dare to hit her?”

"She's also your ship girl."

Lexington paused briefly at this point.

“Just treat us as your possessions,” Lexington said. “That’s the kind of creatures ship girls are. They only feel safe when they are owned.”

Little White looked up at Lexington.

It was Lexington with a gentle smile.

That's really cruel.

Xiao Bai thought this, but didn't say it aloud.

"Have you seen Bismarck?"

"Huh? Did you see that?"

"You smell like potato chips and cola. You must have been taken to Bismarck's house."

"awesome."

"Ship girls are very sensitive, you know."

Lexington withdrew her hand and looked at Little White for a moment. She turned around and took a small, delicate red box from a corner of the table. She placed the box in front of Little White.

"What is this?" Xiaobai asked.

“Open it,” Lexington said.

Xiao Bai opened the small box, inside was a small medicine bottle containing a white capsule.

“What I’m about to say, Little White, you need to remember it well,” Lexington said. “This is a neurotransmitter. It’s a drug developed by the Navy that can activate the human brain.”

“After taking this and taking a nap, you’ll gain an ability similar to a brainwave network,” Lexington said, taking out the bottle. “You can connect with ship girls and get their visual information. You can also have brainwave conversations. If you’re talented enough, you can even activate the ship girls’ abilities.”

“But once you eat this, there’s no going back,” Lexington said. “Do you know what that means?”

"……What's the meaning?"

“You will no longer be human,” Lexington said.

Chapter 9 and below are all jokes.

What is a human being?

Human beings were once defined as intelligent, emotional, moral, compassionate, capable of controlling their impulses, and creative.

But now, ship girls also fit this definition.

Ship girls do resemble humans, but in a deeper sense, they are not human. This is because their destructive power exceeds the limits achievable by an individual human.

Therefore, the definition of humanity became somewhat blurred after the emergence of ship girls.

Later, they simply took the average ability defined in sociology and found that those who came close to this value were human beings.

The pill in Xiaobai's hand is what will make her break through this boundary.

After taking this medicine, Xiaobai will gain abilities that ordinary humans do not possess.

To put it more elegantly, she will evolve into a superhuman.

Superpowers are not as cool and glamorous as they are depicted in novels or movies. In fact, they bring more harm than good.

If a being has already surpassed humans in terms of performance alone, will it still be accepted by human society?

...How could that be?

In a fundamental sense, this drug violates human nature; it alters the human body.

This is why the Navy has kept this drug a secret for so long.

Xiao Bai stared at the medicine bottle in Lexington's hand and fell silent.

When it comes to actually eating this kind of thing, it's hard to make up your mind.

“Your brother… thought about it for a long time before taking it,” Lexington said, placing the medicine bottle in Xiaobai’s hand. “It’s okay, Xiaobai, you can consider it.”

"..."

"This medicine is yours." Seeing Xiaobai's hesitation, Lexington added, "Let Xiaobai think it through before making a decision. It's okay if she doesn't take it, although the news will spread a little slower, but I will help Xiaobai."

Xiao Bai lowered her head, her hands gripping the medicine bottle weakly, and nodded gently.

Lexington looked at Little White and smiled.

“I’m really thinking about it carefully,” she said.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Xiaobai asked, looking up at Lexington with some confusion.

“There were several admirals who graduated from the same naval academy as your brother,” Lexington said. “When they graduated, everyone was taken to a private room and given a nerve agent. After thinking they knew the pros and cons, most of them took it on the spot.”

"...Your brother didn't. He took the potion, considering that he would only take it a year after becoming a full-fledged admiral," Lexington added. "Then, a few years later, of all the admirals from that cohort, only your brother remained."

"Sacrificed...?" Xiaobai asked.

“They’ve gone mad.” Lexington’s eyes were filled with a hint of sadness. “They’re the same people who took the potion directly back then.”

"..."

“It’s not the drug itself that’s the problem. Nerve drugs are actually some kind of catalyst or something that doesn’t harm the body,” Lexington said. “It’s just that they haven’t properly considered the role of these drugs. As they experience the difference firsthand, they gradually lose their humanity.”

"What does it mean to lose one's humanity?"

“I can’t quite put it into words either.” Lexington gave a wry smile and said, “Simply put, it’s about having too much power and then regarding ordinary humans as ants or something like that.”

"If in a battle, one hundred people have to be sacrificed to save one thousand, what would you do?" she asked again.

"……do not know."

“Well, your brother also said he didn’t want to answer these kinds of questions. But if you were playing chess and needed to sacrifice all your pawns, rooks, knights, and cannons to win the game, would you do it?” Lexington asked.

"Maybe..." Xiaobai answered subconsciously.

Lexington looked at Little White.

...Xiao Bai suddenly seemed to remember something and covered her mouth.

“Yes,” Lexington said. “When people stop seeing humans as human beings and start seeing them as bargaining chips, they lose their humanity.”

When a person acquires power beyond what their reason can control, they will look down upon humanity.

This kind of person is no longer fit to be an admiral.

Because the admiral's responsibility is not to bring victory to humanity, but to protect humanity.

Those who disregard life for the sake of victory are not qualified to remain as admirals.

Xiao Bai stared at the potion in her hand, saying nothing.

“So I’m happy to see that Xiaobai is giving this a good look.” Lexington said, gently stroking Xiaobai’s hand and helping her hold the medicine bottle. “I think you can become a very good admiral. A very good person.”

“I’ll take care of everything for you until you’ve thought it through,” Lexington said, releasing his grip. “Please let me know your decision once everything is ready.”

Xiao Bai put the medicine bottle into the inner pocket of his military uniform.

In the heart, at the mouth.

"But for now, let's think about how to have a fun welcome party." Lexington changed the subject and chuckled softly. "You'll be seeing quite a few of your ship girls later, so go and get ready."

Xiao Bai looked at Lexington and nodded.

“The admiral’s lounge is next door; you can stay there from now on,” Lexington said.

“Oh, I’m staying at Bismarck’s house, just now,” Little White said. “...I’d like to go back and change my clothes first.”

After being thrown around once, Xiaobai is now covered in dirt.

"...They really got the first strike." Lexington didn't seem particularly surprised. "Yes, I see."

She turned to look at Saratoga.

"Jiajia, can you help Xiaobai back?"

"No need, no need, I can go back by myself." Before Saratoga could speak, Little White quickly waved his hand and refused.

She didn't think she was the kind of person who would break at the slightest bump.

Saratoga, who had been silently sitting in a corner of the admiral's room, looked up and glanced at Little White.

She raised her hand, brushed aside her waist-length golden hair, and walked towards Xiaobai.

"Let's go."

"Huh? But I don't need to..."

“Let’s go back together. My sister and I live upstairs in Bismarck’s house.”

"..." Xiaobai secretly glanced at Lexington, "...Won't you be very busy?"

"It's my sister who's busy, I'm not the secretary ship." Saratoga stood in front of Little White and looked at her, saying, "Do you want me to carry you or will you walk yourself?"

For a moment, Xiaobai was a little afraid to look Saratoga in the eye.

She looked straight ahead, at Saratoga's skirt.

Beneath the black miniskirt were long, slender legs encased in over-the-knee black stockings.

...Why do you seem so angry...?

Little White looked up at Saratoga's expressionless face and suddenly felt incredibly panicked.

"Then... I'll go by myself..."

And so, Xiaobai stood up.

Chapter 10 Two Sisters-in-Law

The two walked downstairs in silence.

Only when they reached the square did Xiaobai dare to look to the right.

The blonde girl walked beside Xiaobai with a blank expression.

...I have a subtle feeling of immense pressure.

"Where did you get beaten up?" Saratoga suddenly asked.

She suddenly turned her head, and her pair of bright blue eyes met Xiaobai's.

"Huh? Ah... there." Xiaobai was startled by Xiaoxiao's words and pointed to the entrance of the office building.

Saratoga didn't look where Little White was pointing; he kept staring at Little White's face.

"...What's wrong?" Little White felt uneasy under Saratoga's gaze and couldn't help but ask.

“You and your brother look nothing alike,” Saratoga said.

"Ah, this." Xiaobai couldn't help but smile wryly. "My brother and I aren't related by blood; he was adopted. When I was very young."

Are you on average?