Kaede Furutani is the younger sister of Himawari Furutani, possessing an almost identical appearance to her except for shorter eyebrows and slightly lighter hair. She shares a deeply affectionate bond with Himawari, who regularly prepares her favorite meals and watches over her protectively. During Kaede's first errand, Himawari secretly monitors her safety alongside Sakurako Ōmuro to guard against perceived threats. Kaede frequently interacts with Sakurako, who commends her kindness while contrasting her with Himawari. Despite Sakurako’s fondness for her, Kaede occasionally makes innocent yet pointed remarks about Sakurako’s small breast size, unfavorably comparing them to Himawari’s. In one instance, Sakurako playfully takes Kaede "hostage" to pressure Himawari into assisting with homework.

While running separate first errands, Kaede befriends Mari Funami after meeting in a park. They support each other through challenges like confronting a frightening dog, and when Mari trips and sustains an injury, Kaede administers first aid. Kaede also develops a close friendship with Hanako Ōmuro, often visiting each other’s homes. Hanako gifts Kaede hand-me-down clothes and deliberately lets her win card games such as Old Maid. Kaede expresses that being at the Ōmuro residence feels like having four older sisters instead of one, and Hanako reciprocates by stating she would welcome Kaede as a younger sister.

In another park encounter, Kaede meets Chizuru Ikeda and compliments her smile, giving Chizuru the confidence to pursue friendships. Her name reflects her character: "Kaede" (楓) translates to "maple," while her surname "Furutani" combines "old" (古) and "valley" (谷).

She features in both the main *YuruYuri* series and its spin-off *Ōmuro-ke*.