That year’s New Year’s Eve

Its Christmas, (2000) and Ataru Yazuki gets stuck working overtime. When she finally gets off work, she rushes home dressed in a Santa suit to surprise her live-in boyfriend, Ken. She shouts, “Merry Christmas” as she opens the door, but there’s no answer. She desperately searches the house for Ken, but he is nowhere to be found. Even his belongings are gone! Thinking it is some kind of joke or something, Ataru runs to long-time friend Kaoru Aizawa’s house. But the only one there is her friend Kaoru, spending Christmas alone making sweet and sour pork. Where is he? Ataru asks. Huh? Kaoru replies. Ken’s not here? She asks. You mean he’s walked out on you? Kaoru replies. It finally sinks in that Ken is gone. On Christmas…on the day of their first anniversary living together. Ataru, unable to hide her emotions, curls up into a ball as she makes her way into the “kotatsu”. As he opens the “Christmas cake”, Kaoru realizes that Ataru was ready to propose to Ken. The last Christmas of the millennium proves to be a lonely one for both.