Maho Hiyajo

Maho Hiyajo (比屋定 真帆) is one of the main characters of Steins;Gate 0. She is a member of the Brain Science Institute at Viktor Chondria University, one of the lead minds behind project Amadeus alongside Alexis Leskinen and Kurisu Makise's senior and friend.

Appearance
Due to her extremely short stature, she is often mistaken for a child despite being in her twenties. Despite this Okabe note that she still possesses the curves developed through puberty. She has long black hair with dark green tint & green eyes. She typically wears baggy clothing along with mismatched shoes.

Personality
Maho is a feisty young woman. She is aware but is often annoyed every time other people mistake her as a child, unaware of her true age and occupation. Maho is also a very messy person. Within a day, any room she is staying in ends up as a disaster area.

Despite being a genius and Dr. Leskinen's right hand, Maho started developing self-confidence issues after Kurisu Makise appeared at the university, often considering herself the Salieri to Kurisu's Amadeus. However, despite this, she does highly value Kurisu as both a researcher and a friend and was devastated when she died. After Kurisu's death in Japan, Maho started to talk to Kurisu Amadeus more often forming a relationship like a mother and child until she met Okabe and had to stop interacting with her.

After meeting Okabe, the two quickly bond over Kurisu's death, with both Dr. Leskinin & Amadeus teasing her by implying that she developed feelings for Okabe. Over the course of the story, she does end up gaining genuine romantic feeling for Okabe, but comes to terms with the fact that he is in love with Kurisu. She eventually gets over her self-doubt issues with encouragement from Okabe.

Throughout the Twin Automata route, Maho develops a deep friendship with Moeka, with both of them having similar (bad) cleaning habits and insecurities. Maho believes that even if there is someone better than you, that's not a reason give up your place.

Background
After Kurisu joined the Brain Science Institute, Maho considered herself as Kurisu's rival. It was only until Maho had a conversation with Kurisu and both of them sharing Kurisu's @channel secret and their promise to test their own hypothesis on Amadeus together.

Absolute Zero
Maho is an assistant of Alexis Leskinen and visited Japan to work on a lab with Neuroscientist from around the world. Alexis lectured a seminar at the Akihabara Techno Forum-convention (ATF) to showcase their research and Amadeus while Maho helped to translate Alexis's speech from English to Japanese. After the seminar, Maho was alone in the reception until she met Okabe again. Maho was surprised to hear from Okabe that he was taught by Kurisu about her theories on neuroscience when she came to Japan alone. Maho under Alexis's proposal, introduced and made Okabe a tester for Amadeus.

A couple days later Okabe meets with Maho at the Brain Science Comprehensive Reseach Organization lab in Wako. Maho explains what his job as a tester entails and shows him to the back room where he is introduced to Amadeus Kurisu.

Stray Sheep
Okabe meets with Maho and Leskinen with Maho noting how much closer Okabe has gotten to [Kurisu].

Later, Maho decides to visit Okabe at the Lab, but notices that she is being followed and calls Okabe, she is suddenly grabbed from behind by a person who turns out to be Judy Reyes. Okabe then arrives, and attempt to help Maho, but Maho explains who Judy is. Okabe then takes Maho back to the lab when he introduces her to everyone and she tells him that Amadeus was upset because Okabe had been ignoring its calls.

Orbital Eclipse
On his way to the lab, he runs into Maho and helps her deal with a police officer who thinks she's a lost child. Maho explains that she was taking Kurisu's laptop to someone in Akihabara and once again asks if he knows the password, which he denies. She then calls him out for running away from Amadeus and being a cold person, both of which he agrees to. Okabe then invites her to the New Years party at the lab.

Maho joins the group as they go to Yanagibayashi Shrine for the New Years festival. On the way there, Okabe encourages Fubuki and Kaede to talk to Maho in order to help her open up. Upon reaching the shrine, the group meets up with Luka, Faris, Mayuri, Kagari and Suzuha, all of whom are working as shrine maidens. Maho questions if Mayuri is Okabe's girlfriend, which he denies. That afternoon, when the group is preparing to leave, Professors Leskinin and Reyes show up, but they leave after doing the purification ritual.

Back at the lab, the group throws their new years party. Maho gets a call from Amadeus and asks Okabe if it okay to answer it in front of everyone. Okabe agrees as long as the camera stays off of him. Maho introduces Amadeus to everyone, but Amadeus suddenly disappears. Maho request using Okabe's phone but the turns her down. At that same time, Kagari suddenly drops a glass on the floor. Before it can be cleaned up, several masked men invade the lab and point guns at the group. A woman in a black motorcycle outfit then walks in & grabs Kagari. Luckily Yugo arrives and takes out the men while Suzuha then manages to free Kagari, forcing the assailants to retreat. Maho later walks with the group back to the train station.

After learning the "K6205" (what the man had been calling Kagari) was a Kochel number, Okabe called Moha to see if Amadeus was still down, but Maho reveals that someone else had managed to take it over.

Twin Automata
When Readinf steiner activate, Okabe finds that Maho and Moeka are in the lab. Its revealed that Maho was informed of a gas leak in the Wako office which forced her and Leskinin to relocate their lab to Toki Denki. Later, after meeting up with Moeka for an interview, Maho had retuned to her hotel room to find that it had been ransacked. Okabe suggests that they might have been after Kurisu's laptop and hardrive, but Maho assures him that they were still in her bag. Maho suddenly gets a call from [Kurisu], who asks if she's okay. After Maho explains what happened to her, [Kurisu] suggests that they might have been after her control codes, the code to access her secret logs that only Maho knows. Okabe then takes Maho to Faris's apartment. When Faris suggests that Moeka stay there too, Okabe objects but is overruled.

After working with Leskinin one day, Maho joins Moeka who was taking pictures of a flower and the two talk for a while.

That night, Faris pushes Maho and Moeka to join her for a slumber party. During the party, Moeka voices her fears that she is unimportant replaceable, and Moeka calms her fears by voicing her beleif that even if there is someone or somethign out there that can do a better job then you, thats no reason to give up.

A few days later, Okabe heads to Faris's apartment to make sure Moeka has not caused any problems and discovers that Maho and Moeka have turned their shared room into a giant mess. Maho and Moeka begin their interview, but after it fails to progress, due to Moeka's quiet nature, they suggest that Okabe interview her instead. Okabe agrees and during the interview, Maho explains some of the complications with AI and how Amadeus seeks to surpass them.

A few days later, after being forced to clean the room by Seargent Clean, the gorup thows a party t Faris's apartment to celebrate. When Kaede starts playing "The Turkish March" on the piano, Moha becomes uncomfortable and heads to the guest room. Okabe follows her and she reveals that the piece reminded her of Kurisu. Moeka then arrives and expresses concern for Maho. Maho assures both of them that's she's okay.

Rintaro and Mayuri take Nae back to the workshop, with Maho tagging along. On the way, Okabe nearly tells Maho the truth about Kurisu's death, but before he can, Nae is nearly hit by a car. The group is then surrounded by masked and armed individuals including the woman in the biker suit. Realizing that the attackers were after Maho, Okabe convinces her to run and attempts to slow them down.

Maho makes her way bakc to Tokyo Denki in order to check on the lab and on the way there, she runs into Pr. Leskinen. He explains that he was also attacks and Maho suggests that they are after her control keys for Amadeus, leading the professor to advise them to delete the access program for Amadeus so it could not longer be accessed from Japan. The two make their way back to Tokyo Denki and reach the lab. Maho realizes that they reached the lab too easily, but bring up Amadeus anyway. She becomes hesitant to deletes the access program and Leskinen assured her, revealing to her that Kurisu considered herself inferior to Maho. This gives Maho a boost of confidence as she prepares to follow through, but right as she logs in, Leskinin to be shot and killed by Dr. Reyes.

Reyes reveals that she is a DURPA agent and threatens Maho for the control keys. Maho then hums a Motzart Melody which transfers control [Kurisu]'s secret diary and restarts it with a 15 minute countdown timer. Reyes then attempts to kill her, but Moeka comes in and uses Future Gadget #4 to create a smokescreen for them to escape. The two attempt to flee the building with Moeka explaining that Amadeus contacted her the [Kurisu], comparing their relationship to Amadeus and salieri. Moeka then explains that Salieri wasnt actually jealous of Amadeus and the two actually repected each other. This gives Maho the confidence to go back and confront Dr.Reyes. They arrive back in the room just in time for [Kurisu] to reveal that the whole thing had been a ploy and control wasnt actually transfered. Maho then holds Dr. Reyes and gunpoint and demands that she tells the forces downstairs to surrender. However, Reyes manages to trick Mahao, taking the gun and shooting Moeka. Maho then agrees to tranfer control, but actually ends up deleting Amadeus all togetherm revelaing that there never was a way to transfer control. Enraged, Reyes attempt to kill Maho, but it shot by a still alive Moeka. Maho then hold Moeka, who reminds her of her words at the slumber party. Maho has Amadeus call an ambulabnce before its completely deleted. [Kurisu] tells Maho to wipe her tears before realizing that it cant touch Maho before undrstanding that it is Amadeus, not Kurisu. [Kurisu then calls an ambulance and that the men downstairs s have already left. it then reveals that Sonata No.11 was the password for Kurisu's computer. It then tells Maho that they need to reach a new world and asks her to take care of Kyouma Houoin for her, much to Maho's confusion. Amadeus is then fully deleted and Maho breaks down in tears.

Over the next month Okabe explained everything to her and even showed her the time machine. Maho had accessed the Time Travel thesis on Kurisu's computer and given a copy to Daru. The route ends with Maho taking a flight back to the states.

Gehenna's Stigma
Upon returning to America from her trip to Japan, Maho started working on her own on creating a time machine, hoping that it could be the key to preventing Kurisu's death.

One night, she overhears Alexis Leskinen and Judy Reyes talking in the university, but is caught overhearing the conversation. She then is brain-washed, and is taken to Japan to convince Rintaro to tell everything he knows about the time machine against her own will.

As Rintaro finishes explaining to her what he experienced, Maho, under Leskinen's control, attacks him, knocks him down and takes him to Leskinen's base under Tokyo Denki University. She then is freed, and wanders around Akihabara, still suffering from the side effects of the brain-washing.

Upon finding Mayuri Shiina, who had been looking for Rintaro, Maho, in her still depressed state tells her everything about Rintaro's story, and how he sacrificed Kurisu for her well being. Mayuri, in shock after hearing the story, runs away, and Maho does not stop her. Maho is then confronted by Kagari for making Mayuri cry, but before she is injured, helicopters appear, prompting Kagari to go look for Mayuri.

Upon finding Kagari Shiina in the stairs of RadiKan, depressed for being unable to find her mother, they temporarily join forces, and with Amadeus' help, they find the location Rintaro had been held in, and manage to rescue him, even at the cost of Kagari's life. While Okabe is still only semi-consious, Maho apologizes to him and promises that he'll never see her again before leaving.

Quotes
"If all things are decided like fate by some god, there's no point in our living, no point in our trying and no point in our choices."

"If you give up on trying, it’s over. And then you’ll never win.”

"It doesn't matter how wonderful a diamond may be in the rough: it has no value until you polish it."

"a scientist should never rule out any possibility, no matter how unlikely ... But we have a tendency to place too much faith in common sense and our own theories."

Trivia

 * While Maho's field of study is neuroscience, she specializes in artificial intelligence.
 * As with other elements of Steins;Gate 0, Maho first appeared in the Epigraph Trilogy.
 * In the Epigraph Trilogy, Maho ends up wearing mismatched clothing after her belongings burn in a car crash in Steins;Gate: Epigraph of the Closed Curve.
 * Maho loves Okinawan dishes as depicted in the Pandemia of Artificial Machinery drama CD.
 * Maho told Rintaro Okabe that her great grandparents were immigrants in Okinawa which explains that her grandparents and parents are Japanese and thus making her DNA fully Japanese. However, Maho was born and raised in America which made Okabe before slightly confused at her appearance.
 * She is very skilled at racing games.
 * She is a fan of Mozart.

Etymology

 * The name Maho means "real, genuine" (真) (ma) and "sail" (帆) (ho), which literally means "full sail" altogether.
 * Maho's surname Hiyajo means "ratio, proportion" (比) (hi), "roof, house, shop, dealer, seller" (屋) (ya) and "determine, fix, establish, decide" (定) (jo).