🍑 Episode 7: The Cost of Comparison

In Aokusa (青草), our gang stumbles into a battle already underway. A boy with a peach for a head — Momotaro — is facing down a rice demon with style, grace, and a chain-scythe. Just as Kabu thinks he’s about to finish it, Momotaro slams his weapon into a levee wall instead, flooding the paddies and driving the demon back without ever striking a blow.

The villagers cheer. His team — Inuaki, Saru, and Yuzuri — rush to his side, handling cleanup, offering tactical notes, and singing his praises. It’s a polished squad, a perfect mirror to our scrappy trio. Kabu’s jaw tightens. This isn’t an ally. This is competition.

🍑 Journey Journal: Okayama

Momotaro is one of Japan’s most famous folk heroes, born from a peach and joined by animal companions on his quest. We found him in Okayama, the place that still celebrates his legend. It felt obvious: if anyone else was going to end up with a fruit for a head in our world, it had to be him.

But our Momotaro isn’t just a fighter. He believes the world can be healed through kindness and understanding. He’s generous, heroic, and almost too perfect. Which makes Kabu feel like he has to measure up — and maybe never can.

🥢 A Hero’s Rivalry

The town worships Momotaro, unbothered by the demon’s attacks because they trust him completely. When Kabu pushes him to team up and fight harder, Momo only says: “I wasn’t trying to hurt it. Just protect the town.”

From there, the rivalry sharpens. While Kabu’s team runs errands and chases goose-tracks, Momo’s squad is always first to the fight. Kabu grows frustrated. The song “What It Takes to Be a Hero” plays like a duel between two philosophies: fighting to win versus protecting at any cost.

👹 The Rice Demon Revealed

When the truth finally cracks open, it’s heartbreaking. The demon isn’t an outsider. It’s Saru, Momotaro’s monkey companion — loyal, overlooked, and quietly resentful. He fixes weapons, cleans up messes, and gets no recognition while Momo takes all the praise. His resentment curdles into the cursed seed, twisting him into the rice demon.

In battle, Momotaro names his attacks after his companions. Kabu mocks it, saying it’s predictable. Momo replies: “I call their names because I learned these moves from my best friends.” That loyalty lands like a hammer.

When Saru finally breaks down, clutching the cursed seed, he asks through tears: “Am I really your best friend?” Kabu extracts the seed, but the weight of the question lingers for everyone.

🌱 Why it Matters

Episode 7 is about comparison, recognition, and the danger of feeling invisible. Kabu sees in Momotaro everything he thought a hero should be, and it shakes him. Kabocha watches Saru’s resentment and feels the echo of her own fears — that she’ll be the one left behind, the one who falls.

It’s a story about how even heroes crack when the people closest to them don’t see their worth. And for Kabu, it’s the moment he says out loud: “Demons should be killed.” His black-and-white view of good and evil is set — for now.