^^^not so much basically as literally - for the entirety of the first in-universe school year she was just another nameless face in Akane's group and had a grand total of maybe three or so spoken lines (I counted once). Her sudden upgrade into an important and prominent character (and de facto Kuro's first actual friend at school) at the beginning of the second year IMO stands as a textbook example of the creators' enviable skill at making nameless background figures just distinctive enough their role and characterisation can be expanded at will.
Something very similar was later done with Asuka's, Sachi's and Emoji's friends to good effect.