I used to live in a housing complex. It was close to the station and a big road. Many people walked around the area. But inside the complex, it was quiet.

When I read Danchi Meshi! by Chiya Fujino, I remembered my life in the housing complex.

The book was easy to read. The small shops in the story had many delicious foods. The fruit iced tea sounded so good that I wanted to make it myself.

A housing complex has a special feeling. Many people live there, but we do not talk very much. Still, I could feel the people through the smell of the hallway, the evening light, and the laundry on the balconies.

The complex where I lived also had small shops on the first floor. I often used the vegetable shop and the Chinese restaurant. It was nice to buy something and go home quickly. There was also a hair salon and a halal food shop. It felt like a small world inside the complex.

But the shops had only a few parking spaces. People from outside could not use them easily. If the complex was not near a station, it was even harder. This “inside and outside” feeling is also part of a housing complex.

In the book, there is a scene where Hana says she wants to quit high school. When I read it, my heart felt tight. My family had the same problem before.

When my child could not go to high school, I did not know what to do. I thought, “Maybe quitting is the only way.” I felt very scared.

But when we visited some correspondence high schools, one teacher told us:

“If you quit first, it is hard to enter again. It is better to keep your student status and start the transfer process.”

This one sentence opened a new path for us. After that, we could change schools smoothly.

If I had not heard that advice, we might have struggled for a long time after quitting.

There are many types of correspondence high schools. Many of them help students who cannot attend regular school. I was surprised to learn this. I knew about these schools, but I never tried to understand them because I thought they were not related to me.

When I read Hana’s choice, I thought, “Please wait.” I remembered my own feelings from that time. There are more options than just quitting or staying. There is a path in between.

No matter what Hana chooses, she will still have many paths in the future.