I looked at the golden and black pups, dumbfounded by what I heard.
"Cerberus' pups? And Hades gave them to me?... For free?.... Why?"
Hermes smiled and pointed at me, more precisely, at my hands.
"He knows about you; he was the one who told me where to find you. He wants to build a friendly relationship with you, and I advise you to repay his gift in kind. Hades isn't someone you want to anger."
I quickly nodded and paid attention to the two large pups. I would have assumed they were full-grown if it weren't because of their somewhat chubby bodies and round snouts.
"Is it really okay for me to have them? The apartment doesn't allow pets. And what do they eat? Do they eat souls or something that only grows in the underworld?"
Smiling, Hermes shook his head. "No, I've seen Cerberus eat normal mortal food…well, mortals... As for them not being allowed in your apartment, you shouldn't worry. They can simply go inside—-"
Before he could finish his sentence, an intense golden flash engulfed the room, and a loud boom from a lightning strike echoed throughout the city.
Hermes sighed and looked at his watch.
"Ugh, father, do you always have to be so impatient?.. Uh, I have to go…. I've delayed a few of my deliveries. For the next four years, I'll be in a little bit of a pickle, so I won't be able to stop by. That said, you can chat with me using the Market System. Oh, and before I go, here this is a gift from me."
I thanked him as I took a brown woven bracelet Hermes had handed me.
"This anklet is something I had made recently with some of the hair I yanked out of Zephyr. It has an effect that you will like. I would love to stay and explain everything to you, but I have to go before my father destroys the city with one of his tantrums. There's a system manual in the system itself, so make sure you read that. Bye"
Before I could reply, Hermes had become a glowing golden blur and left my room.
I did a quick visual sweep of my room and threw a few objects around to ensure Hermes hadn't simply made himself invisible. Upon confirming that he was gone, my tense body relaxed, causing me to fall to the floor.
'Is this real? Could this all be a dream? The quirk, unintentional murder, its cover-up, meeting a god, and the market system?'
As I lay on the floor, I looked at the pups sniffing around the room.
"Nope, this is reality."
'What the heck am I going to do with these guys? If they are the pups of Cerberus, then they have to be strong, but that could be dangerous. They could hurt someone, and I'll be in even more trouble. And if they die, won't Hades punish me? These are the pups of his dog, after all.'
I gave up after looking at them, stumbling and crashing into things.
"Whether they become dangerous in the future, at the moment, they are just pups. Robbing them of their sight and hearing for only Hades knows how long is cruel."
I went to the kitchen as quietly as I could and grabbed two pieces of raw chicken breasts.
When I returned to the room, I found the golden pup laying belly side up on the pillow I had thrown at Hermes.
'So damn cute!!!'
Smelling the chicken scent in the air, both pups began clumsily walking over to me.
Once they had gotten closer, I placed the chicken breasts on the floor. As they ate, I began unlocking the golden pup's blindfold.
When the blindfold was taken off, the pup opened and closed its eyes. After trying to wipe its eyes with its paw, the pup sat down with its tail wagging like crazy. Its little head tilted from side to side while observing me with curiosity.
Its completely black eyes surprised me, and as I inspected it, the pup ran at me at full speed. It jumped on me and began licking my face as it pinned me to the ground.
I was relieved that the puppy hadn't tried to eat me, but I was also grossed out. The pup had just been eating poultry, so its slimy tongue and bad-smelling breath were an issue.
'I hope the gods have something that auto-cleans me or can wash these little guys' mouths.
I thought of something as I was about to take off the pup's plugs.
'From what I can see, the blindfold might be so that the pups can imprint on the first being they see. What if the earplugs serve a similar purpose? What if the first thing they hear is their name? Could they understand that it's their name?'
After a few seconds of thinking of a name, one finally hit me. I patted its head, removed the earplugs, pointed at it, and said its name.
"Hinode, Hinode, you are Hinode."
The pup backed away in surprise since it was probably the first time it ever heard anything. After a few seconds, its tail once again wagged like crazy, and it pounced at me.
After repeating the process for the black pup, I was covered in slobber. Thankfully, the two pups had calmed down. Since they had eaten, the two pups sat on either side of me and began to sleep.
Looking at the two pups sleeping peacefully, I couldn't help but smile.
'Hinode, meaning sunrise. I got the inspiration from its golden fur and black mane. Then there's Nisshoku, meaning solar eclipse. The black fur and its golden mane fit the pup perfectly.'
[ Image of pups in comment here]
I had always wanted a dog, but my mother had said no. She said that one shouldn't take care of an animal unless they had the resources to do so in case it ever got sick or injured. Since we lived from check to check most of the time, for us it wasn't an option.
"And now, instead of one, we have two. To make things worse, said dogs might grow to be giants. Their appetite alone might end up putting us on the street….But now I have my quirk and the Godly Market. Not only can they help me provide for these little guys, but these items can also help me become a great hero."