"Since you're the first Admiral to be so brave, can you let me see how brave you can be?" She said with her head tilted sideways, her expression like that of an innocent girl eager to play games.

"Be brave to ...... Which step? Jiqi frowned and asked, he didn't know what the other party meant by saying this, could it be another form of humiliation?

"It is said that the ship mother and the admiral are closely related, and the two are inseparable parts, for the sake of you being so brave, why don't we make a game?" The girl raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "A game about bravery." ”

She has now determined the identity of the other party, the poor worm who was ruthlessly killed by Atago, and the strange admiral who made the originally indifferent girl stand in front of the window in a daze. However, in Yamato's eyes, all the admirals are just weak and pitiful ants, and the young man in front of him is just a little different ant, which can bring a little joy to himself, and there is no difference in essence other than that.

"About Brave Games?" Jiqi didn't know what trick the other party was playing, he was obviously a turtle in an urn, and he could grab it in the palm of his hand casually, but he had to open his mouth to see his struggling expression.

"yes, now I'd love to play a game of choice with you, a game of choosing between a ship girl or an admiral." The girl licked the corners of her mouth and smiled sickly. "The content of the game is that now you can choose, whether to choose to fight with me yourself and let the ship girls leave, or let the ship girls fight for you and leave alone. Make a choice, poor Admiral, whether to let yourself live or let the shipwives live, draw your sword and fight to the death for the shipwives, or return to the town guard with your cowardice and cowardice. Make your decision! Let me see how brave you can be! ”

She pulled out the long knife in her sheath, the blade as thin as a cicada's wings shining with translucent light, glowing cold in the warm sunlight. She looked at the fragile young man in front of her, the young and immature face of the other party was reflected in the pupils of the solemn and ancient eyes, she was waiting for the answer given by the other party, she did not believe that the young man in Atago's mouth could be brave to the point of desperation, and she did not believe that he could give up his precious life for the sake of his ship. The crows in the world are as black as they are, and she doesn't believe that this one in front of her is a special case, the only white crow. So she is confident that the other party will choose the latter, although it will be heartbroken and reluctant, but it is better to let others sacrifice for her than to lose her own life. The Admiral is always like this, saying that I love the ship's mother very much, and I can give up everything for them. But when it comes to critical moments, give up when it's time to give up, give up when you should give up, no exceptions.

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Ji Qi smiled, he finally knew what the game meant in the other party's mouth. Whether to choose whether to live and die by herself, or choose to live and sacrifice by herself, such a question may be a very difficult choice for other admirals, but for Jiqi, this is already a sure thing.

He looked at the smiling girl who said, "I already knew you would choose the latter," and looked at the contempt in her eyes and sneered. He sighed slightly, turned his head to look at Lexington, and showed reluctance and regret.

"Lexington" Jiqi spoke slowly, his reluctant eyes flowing with affection. "After this, the town guard will be handed over to you, and you, as the admiral, must take good care of others, and also take good care of yourself. In my room, there is a small blue notebook in the drawer of the table by the window, on which are written everyone's preferences, and I think that should help you. As he spoke, his eyes began to moisten, like a broken bottle filled with water, oozing from the wound. He sniffled slightly, and his voice began to tremble, like an undulating tune, ticking and ticking. His lips opened and closed, repeating it many times without saying a word, and he was afraid that he would not have the courage to take that step if he continued to say more, and that he would never be able to go back to the past. He was not afraid of death, but of losing what he had. But now I have to make a difficult decision, no matter how much reluctance and nostalgia there is, I can only hide it in my heart at the moment and can't speak.

"Why, Admiral? Why was such a decision made? Obviously, you are the person we should protect the most, but now you ...... But her voice choked up at this, and her lips trembled and she couldn't continue. Crystal tears began to flow down her cheeks, like pear blossoms that had been hit by rain, withering in the rain one by one.

"Lexington," he said, turning his face to the side of the girl with the rain, groped his chest with trembling hands, and untied the badge representing the Admiral of the Doge's Palace, on which the eagle with its broad wings looked so helpless, like a lonely walker unaccompanied. He looked at the badge lying in the palm of his hand, and sighed heavily and slowly, as if he had spit out all his hope. He lowered his head and trembled lightly as he took the girl's stubborn hand, pulled away her clenched fingers little by little, and forced the badge into her palm. "Lexington is obedient, okay, you were the admiral of the town guard mansion when I was away, you have to think twice about everything, don't be like me like a fool, you don't understand your girlish heart at all." His voice trembled, and he didn't know what he was talking about. He raised his hand to wipe the tears from Lexington's eyes, his heart so heavy that it seemed to be stuffed with lead, bitter and gray. He took off the brand-new Admiral hat from his head, straightened it and put it on the girl's little head, the wide brim of the hat hiding her tearful eyes, giving Jiqi the courage to continue what he had to say. "And you must return to the town guard mansion well, you must promise me not to do anything stupid, this is my last order to you as a commander, promise me to obey it well, okay?"

"Why...... To make such a choice? Why? Lexington had never hated her weakness and powerlessness as much as she did now, and she clenched the piece of iron in her palm that was warm, the sharp corners piercing the soft palm of her hand. She knew that this might be the last thing she could leave to herself, and if she lost it, there would be nothing to prove that he ever existed. She bit her lip, her face wrinkled like rice paper in her hand.

"Sometimes there aren't so many whys, and sometimes you have to choose between the worse and the worse." He patted the girl on the shoulder, as if to give her one last encouragement. "So promise me, okay? Promise me that you will listen to me and take everyone back, promise me that you will not do stupid things, promise me that I will take good care of them and be a better admiral than me. Promise me okay Lexington? He repeated again, standing in front of the maiden and waiting for her answer, so that he could move forward with peace of mind.

After several seconds of silence, Lexington replied in a weak voice. "I promise you Admiral, I promise you, I promise you." Each sound seemed to use up all the strength of her body, so hard and so weak.

"Goodbye Lexington then, remember what you said." Jiqi nodded and replied softly, wiping away his tears with his white sleeves, and there was no longer nostalgia and reluctance in the pair of dark blue pupils. He clenched the long knife in his hand, like a man on a journey, his eyes were as firm as iron, and what was in it was only the final decision.

Goodbye, everyone, if despair has an end, then let me write it for her in blood. Jiqi lifted the knife and stepped from the center of the protective ring to the front step by step. As he marched he saw the tears in the eyes of Wales, the puzzlement in the eyes of Prestige, and the trembling and clenched and white hands of the avant-garde. They didn't know why their admiral was at the front and in the most dangerous place, but they seemed to have guessed the end.

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"Brave poor Admiral, have you made your decision?" Yamato asked sharply, as if she wanted to see the fear of death in the other party's eyes, but to her disappointment, the other party was like a stubborn stone, without the slightest expression.

"You're talking, aren't you?" Jiqi asked loudly, he is not afraid of sacrifice now, what he is most afraid of is that the other party does not promise, promises himself but regrets it.

"Of course, what I said is absolute, as long as you tell me your decision, I will definitely meet your request." Yamato replied in the affirmative that she was now eager to hear whether the admiral, whom Atago called a fool, was really stupid or pretending to be stupid, and whether the Grim Reaper's snort could bring him to his senses.

"Then my decision is," Jiqi closed his eyes slightly and opened them again, his chest heaving. "Is it okay to let my ship's mother go back?"

"You mean, you're going to be the victim of the one who stays?" Yamato raised an eyebrow, she seemed to be a little unable to believe her ears, and once again confirmed the other party's answer.

"Whether it's a sacrifice or a commendable courage, as long as you promise to let my ship girls leave, I can exchange my life for them to survive, die alone, so many lives, this is a sure deal, everyone will make the same choice as me." He opened his hands and babbled, a light smile on his lips, as if he were now a gambler squandering at the table, throwing his life chips into what he thought was the best option.

Yes, one person's life is exchanged for so many people's lives, any rational person would choose such a decision, but no one would want to be that person, the one to be sacrificed.

"Are you sure?" Yamato asked again, with doubts in his eyes.

"I'm sure." Jiqi nodded vigorously and replied again, he turned his head to look at the silent ship girls, and said loudly to the girl standing in the middle with her head hanging down, "Admiral Lexington remembers what you promised me!" Gotta take them back and don't let me down, okay? He gave the tearful maidens one last smile and waved his hand vigorously as if to say goodbye.