Dominic looked and read through the final draft in his hands and he couldn't help but smile. Gojo had not only finished the draft, he had also made some improvements to the story and the art as well. Compared to how it looked before, now it looked more refined though it still had that rough style that felt right for the kind of story he was telling. 

After reading through the draft again, he dropped it slowly and stared at Gojo who sat across the table from him also noticing his ink stained fingers and a few of them were swollen too. 

Dominic: This is perfect.

Gojo: (smiles) You think so?

Dominic: Hey now. Don't talk like that.

Gojo: Talk like what? 

Dominic: Like that. You don't sound like someone who was confident enough to draw this kind of story. Lighten up more. 

Gojo: (laughs nervously) I'll try. 

Dominic then picked the draft up again and went through it briefly, still pleased by what his eyes were showing him.

Dominic: Yes this is very good. I'm submitting this draft tomorrow morning and if it gets picked, it'll be out with the other Mugen Monthly one shots at the end of December or early January. 

Gojo: I see...

Gojo leaned back slightly, a small smile on his face, and looked at Dominic with a seriousness that surprised him.

Then a question came to Dominic's mind.

Dominic: Your mom already gave me the basic gist of it, but what made you change your mind about drawing the draft? You didn't seem enthusiastic about it before. 

Gojo thought for a while and then responded. 

Gojo: Back when I still used to go to a regular school, I always heard people talk about what they want to do with their lives and I'd always feel left out because I didn't know what I wanted for myself. 

Dominic leaned forward as Gojo continued. 

Gojo: But... After everything that's happened in the past few months, I realized that the moments I felt alive and happy were during the times I was drawing and most importantly, I was having fun. 

Dominic smiled when he said this.

Gojo: So I thought, if drawing was this fun, then I might as well continue doing it. Right?

Dominic nodded his head.

Dominic: Yeah it makes total sense.

Suddenly, Gojo immediately bowed his head which caught Dominic off guard. 

Gojo: So Mr Dominic, I.... I want to become a professional manga artist!! Please offer me your help!

Dominic smirked and sighed before he responded.

Dominic: I told you to stop being formal didn't I? And besides, you didn't need to ask for my help. I was going to do it either way.

Gojo raised his head and met Dominic stretching out his hand for a handshake. 

Dominic: I'm looking forward to working with you, Gojo Masaki. 

Gojo smiled and shook Dominic's hand. 

Gojo: Yes! Thank you so much! 

Dominic stretched his arms behind his head, thinking about where to even begin.

Dominic: Alright… if you’re serious about going pro, then you need to understand how the whole Mugen system works. It’s… kinda huge.

Gojo: I’m listening.

Dominic pulled Gojo’s draft a little closer, tapping the cover.

Dominic: First off, Mugen Manga Works isn’t just one magazine. It’s five. Each one has its own style, audience, and pace. Think of them like… different worlds under one big umbrella.

Gojo nodded slowly.

Gojo: I only really know about Mugen Monthly…

Dominic: Most people do. But here’s the full story...

He held up five fingers

Dominic: The first is Mugen Weekly. Think of it as the starting point for young readers. Weekly and biweekly series for kids, fast-paced, simple ideas, lots of energy.

Gojo: So like action and comedy stuff mixed in?

Dominic: Exactly. The second one is Mugen Monthly. Same audience, but monthly releases. Longer chapters and they have a bit more room to experiment with their stories. 

Gojo nodded, trying to map it all in his head.

Dominic: The next one is Mugen Ultra. This one’s for the seinen manga and they are weekly and biweekly. It’s brutal, only the toughest artists survive there.

Gojo scratched his cheek nervously.

Gojo: Sounds terrifying.

Dominic smirked.

Dominic: It is.

Dominic: Then there's Mugen Front and they specialize in monthly seinen series. The stories here are more polished, slower-paced and story heavy. A lot of masterpieces come from here.

Dominic tapped Gojo’s draft.

Dominic: And then there's Mugen Monthly Starline. This… is where you’re aiming. It’s the entry gate for new talent. Every two months, they publish a batch of one-shots from promising creators. If you shine here, the editors from the other magazines start looking your way.

Gojo’s eyes lit up slightly.

Gojo: So Starline is like… the entrance exam?

Dominic: Exactly. This is where it begins for you. 

Dominic reached for Gojo’s notebook and flipped it open.

Dominic: Now, the real beast is the ranking system. Mugen is digital-first. Everything gets serialized on their app Mugen Plus before it ever touches paper.

Gojo tilted his head.

Gojo: So… print isn’t the main thing anymore?

Dominic: Nope. Print is more like a reward. Only the best of the best get printed, and it’s determined by numbers.

He pulled a pen from his pocket and started scribbling on a spare sheet.

Dominic: For regular manga, the ranks go Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, and Platinum. Each one depends on four things: Views, fan engagement, retention, and whether the editors think you're good enough for print. 

Gojo stared at the chart Dominic drew.

Gojo: These numbers are… kind of insane.

Dominic laughed.

Dominic: And that’s for regular manga. For your one-shot, the requirements are slightly different.

He drew another chart beside it.

Dominic: Bronze means you did good. Nothing amazing, nothing terrible. Silver means, “Okay, this artist has potential.” Gold… that’s when editors start paying attention. Diamond means automatic physical print. And Platinum… that’s when studios start knocking.

Gojo blinked.

Gojo: Studios… as in anime studios!?

Dominic: Yep. Platinum one-shots almost always get animation offers.

Gojo swallowed hard.

Gojo: So… Heartbreak Loverboy Crybaby needs a million views for Diamond?

Dominic: (nods) A million views in 30 days. Hard and extremely rare for one shots, but not impossible.

Gojo: So… all of this is decided by the readers? Their views, their comments… their reactions?

Dominic: Exactly. The system is strict, but fair. If people love your story, the numbers prove it. If they love you enough, you climb the ranks. And if you climb high enough… you get immortalized in print.

Gojo: And if my draft gets accepted… it goes straight into the app first?

Dominic: Yep. It’ll run digitally. And then we watch the numbers for thirty straight days.

Gojo looked down at his ink-stained hands.

Gojo: That’s… scary. It’s terrifying… but also kinda exciting.

Dominic laughed softly.

Dominic: Anyway, that’s the whole shebang. Welcome to the industry, kid. But hey, if you hit Bronze or Silver for your very first one-shot, that’s already huge. Most people barely scratch that. Complicated as hell, right?

Gojo sat there for a second, eyes wide, brain clearly still buffering.

Gojo: That’s… a lot more math than I expected.

Dominic laughed. 

Dominic: Yeah, sorry. Most kids think making manga is 90% drawings and 10% vibes. Turns out it’s like… 50% drawings, 40% stress, and 10% caffeine poisoning.

Gojo chuckled quietly, rubbing the ink off his fingers. 

Gojo: Still… I want to try. I really do.

Dominic wagged a finger.

Dominic: And that is exactly the kind of attitude an editor wants to hear. Now, before we wrap this up, there’s one more thing we need to settle.

Gojo blinked. 

Gojo: What is it?

Dominic raised his eyebrows. 

Dominic: Your pen name.

Gojo froze. 

Gojo: M–My what?

Dominic tapped on the draft with a smirk.

Dominic: Your pen name. You’re about to submit your first work. The moment it hits the system, it needs to be attached to a name that isn’t your real one.

Gojo looked confused. 

Gojo: Why can’t I just… use my actual name?

Dominic let out a small sigh. 

Dominic: Because once you get even a little popular, your privacy is toast. Fans dig through everything. And trust me, you do not want people tracking down where you live because they liked chapter three.

Gojo’s face went pale. 

Gojo: Oh… yeah, no. That sounds terrifying.

Dominic: Exactly. So we need something memorable, easy to pronounce, and something that actually suits you. (folds his arms) You got anything in mind?

Gojo’s eyes drifted to the window. 

Gojo: I… guess I never really thought about it.

Dominic grinned. 

Dominic: Good. That means we get to brainstorm. 

They both leaned back and began to brainstorm for ideas and after a while, Dominic's eyes lit up. 

Dominic: What do you think about the pen name Karakuri?

Gojo blinked. 

Gojo: Karakuri… like the little wooden automata?

Dominic: Yes.

Gojo: But why that name specifically? 

Dominic: They look simple on the outside, but there’s a whole mechanism hidden underneath. Like most stories. Plus I thought it would be perfect for you since you're Japanese. 

Gojo: Not me, but my Dad is. He moved here from Japan when he was a kid.

Dominic: Oh. I just thought you were. 

Gojo’s expression softened, something warm flickering in his eyes. 

Gojo: Karakuri… I like it. It feels… right.

Dominic snapped his fingers. 

Dominic: Perfect. Then it’s settled. Your debut one-shot will be published under the name....

They said it together, Gojo barely above a whisper but full of pride:

“Karakuri.”