Whereas I agree that Sarah has a small role, her impact is one that kicks off the story ark that runs throughout the final 2/3 of the manga.
After the return from their journey of self-discovery following their failure to get into Tokyo U. things have started to settle down. When Seta arrives on the scene, most of the apartments residents have their lives shaken up, and it is Sarah's arrival that sets the shake-up in motion.
Naru fell in love with Seta while he was tutoring her, and his arrival throws her into confusion regarding how she felt about him and what she is starting to feel about Keitaro.
Kitsune was also in love with Seta, but when Naru confessed to her how she felt about Seta, she took the noble course of action and refused to compete for his affections against her best friend.
Haruka was once in a relationship with Seta that fizzled out long ago, possibly the reason she became so independant.
Su, Shinobu and Motoko caught in the middle can't help but be affected despite not being directly involved.
As for Kitsune taking Sarah under her wing. Sarah and Seta are not actually blood relatives despite her always calling her 'Daddy', but Sarah was being abused at home (Hence the scars and her combative attitude) and Seta became her Guardian to get her to some form of loving stability and brought her to Japan. She is studying Japanese to enter a school, and since Seta is back in everyones life, Sarah is there to stay.
Basically, Sarah and Seta are a double act!
That of course is how I interpret her presence, but as with many mangas and animes, interpretation is deliberately left vague allowing the reader/viewer to make their own judgement.
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