Kaede Kagayama is a twenty-year-old young woman who lives and works in the rural village of Asahigaoka. She is a graduate of the local branch school and now runs the village's small candy store, which she inherited from her grandmother. Due to the sparse population and lack of customers, the store is not very profitable, so she supplements her income by offering a variety of unconventional services from the same location, including renting out ski equipment and futons, as well as making parcel deliveries. She is often addressed by the nickname "Dagashiya," which means candy store owner, a title she has carried since her own middle school years. While she initially asked others, particularly Renge Miyauchi, to call her by her real name, she has largely given up on this expectation.

Kaede has a distinctive appearance with long blonde hair, which she dyed around the fifth grade as it was originally black, and maple-colored eyes. Her typical outfit resembles an old-fashioned delinquent's style, contributing to a cool and somewhat intimidating first impression. This exterior, however, belies a personality that is fundamentally kind and friendly, though she possesses a tsundere temperament, often feeling embarrassed on the inside while performing caring actions for others. She is not always honest about her feelings and can be short-tempered or cynical, especially when dealing with children in general, whom she has historically claimed to dislike. A notable and consistent aspect of her character is her frequent worry over money. Her various side businesses are driven by a fear of poverty, and she can appear desperate or miserly, with a particular fascination for schemes or phrases promising sudden wealth.

The most defining element of Kaede's role in the story is her profound and protective relationship with Renge Miyauchi. This bond originated from a specific event during Kaede's third year of middle school. When Renge's older sister, Hikage, asked her to babysit the infant Renge for an afternoon in exchange for payment, Kaede reluctantly agreed despite her aversion to babies. Over the course of that half day, she struggled with and then grew attached to the baby, and the two fell asleep together. This experience forged a deep, lasting connection that shapes both of their lives. In the present, Kaede shows a remarkable soft spot for Renge that she displays with no one else. While she may treat other children with a cool transactional detachment, she rarely refuses Renge's requests. She shares snacks with her, lets her watch television in the shop, gives her rides home on her motorcycle, and rushes to the Miyauchi house under the guise of an errand simply because she heard Renge was sick. It was Kaede who gave Renge the iconic yellow hair ribbons she always wears, as well as a set of crayons that nurtured Renge's artistic side. For Renge, Kaede acts as a substitute parental figure, and their mutual affection provides Kaede with a sense of purpose in her otherwise solitary and economically difficult life.

Beyond her bond with Renge, Kaede has a small but meaningful circle of relationships. She shares a close senior-junior dynamic with Kazuho Miyauchi, the older sister of Renge and Hikage, having known her as her senior since elementary school. They occasionally share drinks and have conversations that reveal nostalgic memories of the past. She is also close in age to Konomi Fujimiya, having attended the same schools, and Konomi affectionately calls her "Kaede-chan." Kaede's relationship with Hikage Miyauchi is more complicated; while Hikage was the one who initially tasked her with babysitting and later coined her "Dagashiya" nickname, their interactions show a progression from transactional to a genuine, if bickering, friendship. With the other younger children, she is generally tolerant but less warm, whether it be putting up with Natsumi Koshigaya's teasing or gradually developing a sisterly rapport with Hotaru Ichijo.

Kaede shows notable development from a directionless graduate with little affection for children into a nurturing and dependable figure. Her journey reflects a discovery of purpose through her caring for Renge, as she transitions from a detached young woman primarily concerned with money to someone who consistently and selflessly prioritizes the well-being of the girl in her care. While she retains her pragmatic and somewhat miserly edge, her underlying warmth becomes increasingly evident over time. Kaede also possesses several notable abilities beyond running her business. She has demonstrated considerable athleticism, such as jumping from a roof and landing with only minor injury, and is skilled in cooking, capable of making okonomiyaki and cookies to a high standard. She is also resourceful, handling bicycle repairs and acting as an all-around solver for the village's various needs, handling tasks ranging from selling daily necessities to preparing for events.