Ayamaya

"You are sometimes... No, you are often clumsy, so as I watch you, I get nervous and can't take my eyes off you. But you're also diligent, hardworking, and straightforward... And that is why we find ourselves following you without realizing it... That's just the type of person our leader is."

- Maya in "Our Leader"

Ayamaya is the femslash ship between Aya Maruyama and Maya Yamato from the BanG Dream! fandom.

Canon
Aya and Maya both belong to the idol group Pastel*Palettes, with Aya as the band's vocalist and Maya the drummer. They are both third-years that go to different schools, Hanasakigawa High School and Haneoka Academy, respectively.

Aya and Maya seem to be very different at first glance: Aya is bubbly, cheerful, feminine and is very passionate about her love for idols and fulfilling her dream as one, whereas Maya is more introverted and awkward (except when it comes to her interests), tomboyish, and often thinks of herself as plain and undeserving of the idol image. However, they share many similarities as well, with Aya being much more self-conscious and sensitive than she first appears, and Maya being more talkative and energetic when doing or talking the things she loves, or their mutual hardworking habits. They also share a dorky streak, such as with Aya's "idol poses" and Maya's silly-sounding laugh. Being part of the same band, they interact a lot and are good friends, often hanging out together or going shopping. Aya also admires Maya's extensive expertise on the technical side of music, even if she may not always understand, and tries to help Maya feel more confident in herself, while Maya looks up to Aya as an idol and strives to have the same sort of determination.

The two first met when Maya was called in by their talent agency to be Pastel*Palettes' temporary drummer until the band was able to find a full-time one in the First Band Story. However, by suggestion from Chisato, Maya ended up joining Pastel*Palettes full time as their fifth member. However, the girls' first prominent interaction is in Chapter 7, where after Pastel*Palettes' disastrous debut show outing the group as only pretending to play their instruments, they are told to temporarily go on hiatus. While Chisato attempts to abandon the group during the fallout, Maya, Aya, Eve, and Hina attempt to better their skills as idols in the meantime by working out. Maya asks Aya to help teach her to be a better idol, since while she has plentiful knowledge on music, she's unfamiliar with the skills idols need to perform. In Chapter 9, while practicing their music routines, Aya and Hina briefly get into an argument about Aya's seemingly inability to get down the chorus, and Maya interjects by explaining that as someone who has worked with various bands, it's okay if everyone feels the music directly - the result matching up and coming together is what matters. Hina accepts Maya's explanation, and the group goes back to practice. Aya stops after their lesson to tell Maya how much she enjoyed her explanation, and that while she's not as good at thinking logically, she appreciated her knowledge. Maya attempts to downplay her compliments, saying she is only a studio musician, and Aya tells her that she should have more confidence. Maya is stunned silent for a minute, but happily takes Aya's words into consideration.

In Chapter 18, the group has managed to practice and finally has gotten the opportunity to play their instruments live for their new audience, with the exeception of Aya, who will be left lip-syncing once again. Aya is deeply disappointed to be denied again, and ends up leaving the room. While the girls wonder if she will be fine, Maya decides to believe in Aya, as Aya's sheer determination, hard work, and refusal to back down from challenges helped her realize there was more to the "sparkle" of idols than cute outfits and bouncy music. She remarks that Aya's sparkle is so bright that it even drags others into it.

Fanon
Ayamaya is a rarepair that isn't very well known due to both characters having more popular pairings (such as Ayachisa or Mayaeve) that tend to overshadow it. However, they do have quite a few interactions, and many people that ship it seem to see it as a very wholesome and fluffy ship for their admiration of each other.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

PIXIV