Momotaro: A Story About Money Starting with Ogre Extermination - Chapter 1: The Peach That Floated Down the River to Change the Future

Once upon a time, there lived an elderly couple who found it hard to keep their red pen from running out while tracking their household budget.
The grandmother would say, "Electricity bills are scarier than ogres," while the grandfather would mutter, "Pensions are just a fantasy."
Then, a "peach that would change the future" came floating down the river.

🏡 Section 1: A poor village, but one kept alive by banter

Grandmother: "How about a monthly 'all-you-can-wash' subscription?"
Grandfather: "We're already doing that every single day."
Grandmother: "Then, an annual payment discount?"
Grandfather: "Who would you even pay?"

The village was poor.
The grandfather worked in the mountains, but the price of firewood never went up.
The grandmother was a "side-hustle granny" who did other people's laundry in between her own.

But the ogre of inflation was growing every day.
When you opened the refrigerator, a breeze would blow through.
(*There is no refrigerator. But for the sake of the reader, we'll leave the image there.)

Grandmother: "In the red again this month. I want to categorize the household budget under 'Horror' now."
Grandfather: "Did you see the utility bill? It says 'Ogre' on it."
Grandmother: "I wrote that."

🍑 Section 2: The fated peach arrives from upstream

That day, the grandmother was doing her "muscle training disguised as laundry" by the river.
From upstream, it came: donburako, donburako.
Wait a minute, the BGM for the river today is fancy. Who's the sound engineer?

Grandmother: "A huge peach is floating down! Size: L... no, family size."
Peach (rotates in silence)
Grandmother: "If I sell this, we could live for months!"
--She was already clutching a calculator.
Simulating on the riverbank.

When she brought it home, the grandfather said while sharpening a kitchen knife.
Grandfather: "Let's sell half and eat half. That's risk diversification."
Grandmother: "You said diversification. I like that."

👶 Section 3: Momotaro is born (and immediately gets roasted)

Pop.
When the peach split open, a baby jumped out.

Momotaro: "Just born. My starting salary is unknown, and my dream for the future is stable cash flow."
Grandmother: "A baby's first words are about financial management... this child is no ordinary person."
Grandfather: "Do you have a resume?"
Momotaro: "Special skills: Ogre extermination, saving money, household budget improvement. Favorite color: Black ink (profit)."
Grandmother: "Hired. A strategist has joined our family."

Momotaro grew up quickly.
But his food expenses grew just as quickly.

The grandmother attempted to "optimize the side dishes."
Grandmother: "Tonight's dinner is 'Mystery Stew.' The flavor depends on today's fortune."
Grandfather: "My fortune is usually 'small luck,' so it'll be bland."

📊 Section 4: The household budget and the "Money Ogre"

One night, Momotaro peeked at the ledger and frowned.

Momotaro: "Why are the 'outgoings' winning over the 'incomings'?"
Grandmother: "The double ogres of taxes and inflation. And they have infinite stamina."

The grandmother set her teacup down quietly.
Grandmother: "Momotaro. Someday, please go exterminate the 'Money Ogre.'"
Momotaro: "Ogre extermination? You mean the one at Ogre Island?"
Grandmother: "That's fine too, but let's start by defeating the ogre in our own household budget."
Grandfather: "Indeed. First, the boss known as 'Monthly Mystery Expenses.'"
Momotaro: "That sounds strong just from the name."

🌄 Section 5: Momotaro sets off in his heart

The next morning.
Momotaro climbed the hill on the edge of the village and looked into the distance.

The sky was clear and the breeze was gentle. Yet, his heart felt restless.
Momotaro (inner voice): "Where is the ogre I must defeat? Is it outside? Inside? Or... inside the refrigerator?"
There is no refrigerator. That's the second time. Why does he want a refrigerator?

Grandma says while wrapping a bento box.
Grandma: "For today's bento, the main dish is 'Hope'. The side is 'Reality'."
Grandpa: "I'll take 'Humor' for dessert."
Grandma: "Leave it to me. Laughter has zero calories."

💌 Section 6: Kibi-dango are Securities of Trust

The morning of departure.
Grandma was in the kitchen, simmering 'kibi-dango' (millet dumplings).

Grandma: "These aren't just dumplings. They are 'entrusting your trust completely'."
Momotaro: "Entrusting completely?"
Grandma: "No. 'The courage to entrust them as they are'. Entrusting equals results returned. In other words, 'trust generates dividends'."

Grandpa: "You're suddenly being poetic. Shall we make it a haiku?"
Grandma: "Dividends return, trust blooms, two springs arrive"
Grandpa: "I don't get the meaning, but it sounds nice."
Grandma: "Haiku is something you feel with your heart."

Packing complete.
Momotaro: "My belongings are 'kibi-dango', 'courage', and a 'map'. Also, 'witty retorts'."
Grandma: "The last one is important. It's the muscle to laugh off reality."

🔥 Section 7: The Night of Departure (A Solitary Resolution)

In front of the bonfire, Momotaro made a small declaration.
Momotaro: "Once I defeat the ogre, I won't stop there. If the village doesn't change even after I win, it's meaningless. ...So, when I return, I will 'exterminate the ogre of household finances'."

The sound of the bonfire crackled.
On the empty hill at night, Momotaro looked up at the sky.

The wind brushed his cheeks.
An owl hooted in the distance.
The moon quietly illuminated Momotaro's face.

Grandma prayed softly to the night sky.
Grandma: "Come back safely. When you return, it's time for the 'fixed cost cutting festival'."
Grandpa: "My heart beats faster for that festival, even without drums."

The moon rose high, and the wind turned a little colder.
Momotaro stroked the 'kibi-dango'.
Even though they were just small spheres right now, they were spheres that would one day become a great power.

Momotaro: "I'm off. To ogre extermination—and to the future extermination of household debt!"
Grandma: "You shouldn't exterminate the future."
Momotaro: "...I'll rephrase. To organize the future!"

The sound of his first step melted into the night wind.
Meeting his yet-to-be-seen companions is a story for a little later.

One-Point Memo

• When household finances are tight, change the 'system', not your emotions.

• "Kibi-dango = Dividends of trust". Because you share them, they return to you.

• Diversification, cooperation, and perspective are the foundation of not just investing, but household finances.

• Start small while having fun—this is the fuel for consistency.

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