The 15-minute break felt longer than it actually was. Students milled around the hall, introducing themselves to one another with their new pen names. Some were shy and some laughed at the weirdness some of the pen names were. 

Gojo walked beside the brown-haired boy who had almost tripped him earlier. He still hadn’t asked for his pen name.

Gojo: So… Do you have a pen name already? 

The boy hesitated, then smiled nervously.

Male Student: I… I go by ‘Beyonder.’ Sounds weird, but I like it. 

Gojo nodded. 

Gojo: Beyonder… alright.

Beyonder grinned. 

Beyonder: And you?

Gojo looked down at his hands and thought back to when he and Dominic came up with his own pen name

Gojo: Uhm… I’m… Karakuri.

Beyonder’s eyes widened slightly. 

Beyonder: Karakuri, huh? Cool. But why does that name sound familiar?

Beyonder quickly typed on his phone while Gojo stared at him nervously and soon enough as Gojo had expected, Beyonder was left speechless and he almost screamed out but then Gojo covered his mouth to prevent him from drawing attention to them.

Gojo shrugged. 

Gojo: Hey man. Could you keep it hush about my pen name? I don't really like the attention it's going to bring.

Beyonder nodded and then Gojo sighed and took his hand off his mouth but he still couldn't contain his excitement. 

Beyonder: (whispers) But you're THE Karakuri?? That's crazy. I can't believe it. It feels like I met a celebrity. 

Gojo: Oh… I don't know about that. 

The bell rang, cutting the chatter and a voice boomed over the campus intercom.

Speaker: Attention all students! Campus tours will begin now. Please follow the guides to your assigned classes.

The students formed small groups. Gojo and Beyonder walked at the back, taking in the sprawling campus. Every building seemed designed to inspire creativity; walls lined with murals, giant sketches hung in the corridors, even the cafeteria looked like a comic set.

After a short walk, they arrived at the main classroom building. Students were handed flyers from the administrators, who directed them to their homerooms. Gojo and Beyonder were sent to the same room.

The classroom was large and bright, the walls decorated with famous manga panels from famous manga. Desks were arranged in neat rows, all facing a podium at the front. Students quickly took their seats.

A man in his late 30s, with sharp features and a neatly trimmed beard, stepped forward. He adjusted his glasses and clapped his hands once drawing everyone's attention to him. 

Teacher: Good morning, everyone. I’m Hanada, and I’ll be your homeroom teacher this year. We’re going to start with a roll call. Remember, you answer only by your pen names.

A ripple of nervous laughter and whispers spread through the classroom.

Hanada: If you understand, then let’s begin.

He opened the file in his hands and started calling the pen names. 

The students answered, one by one. Some were playful and some were nervous about theirs. The energy in the room was a mix of excitement and nervousness. 

At that moment, Gojo began to panic on the inside, as he realized that he would have to and when his pen name was called. And Beyonder caught on to it too.

Beyonder: I guess all that “not wanting to draw attention to yourself is useless now”. 

Gojo: Yeah…

Beyonder: Let's just hope no one remembers. After all, it was two years ago. 

When the teacher reached the middle of the room, he stopped at a familiar brown-haired boy.

Hanasa: Beyonder?

Beyonder: (raising his hand) Here.

Some girls giggled when they heard his name and Beyonder smiled and relaxed back in his chair.

Beyonder: Hey, I think they like me.

Gojo only nodded his head as he was too nervous and anxiously waiting for his name to be called.

Hanada: Garchu?

A familiar face then stood up and answered that name and everyone immediately recognized him. Gojo looked as recognized him as the first person who clapped after Damian's straightforward speech. 

Beyonder: I think he's the kind of person who always wants someone to acknowledge him.

Gojo: You mean a “notice me” person?

Beyonder: Yeah. They're the kind of people who get mad when things don't go their way. 

Gojo: You seem to know a lot about these kinds of people. 

Beyonder watched as Garchu took his seat after a while.

Beyonder: Yeah well, I've had my share of dealing with people like him. So they're easy to point out. 

Gojo: I see.

Hanada: Karakuri?

Gojo sighed and raised his hand and the whole classroom turned to his direction.

Gojo: (mutters) Just perfect. 

The room froze for a second. Murmurs spread like wildfire and a few of them began whispering amongst themselves and others turned to their friends, astonished.

Soon enough, the whispers grew louder and stares began to creep up. 

“Wait… Karakuri? As in… Heartbreak Loverboy Crybaby?”

“No way… That one-shot that broke records?!”

“He's in our class?!” 

Beyonder turned to look at him.

Beyonder: I guess they didn't forget huh?

Gojo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Heat crept up his neck.

Gojo: Yeah I guess they didn't. 

He kept his gaze on the desk, feeling the weight of every pair of eyes in the room. His fame had preceded him, just as he feared, and now he was exposed in front of the strangers who would become his classmates.

He wasn’t sure whether to feel embarrassed, nervous, or proud. The one-shot he poured his soul into had put him among the next generation of creators, but the attention was overwhelming.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. Beyonder leaned over.

Beyonder: Don’t worry, man. They’ll get used to seeing you around and this will all be done with. 

Gojo nodded slowly, grateful.

Gojo: I guess you're right. 

One thing was clear though. Being Karakuri meant carrying more than a pen name, it meant carrying expectations. And this was just the beginning.