
I know some readers will be frustrated with Chiaki for not realizing that the guy likes him even after all they're doing l. But man I relate to Chiaki so much and I can see myself just as confused as him

I suppose once a person has got it stuck in their head that X 'likes' Y, and for some time with reason, it becomes very difficult to just go "Oops my bad" because X shows an interest in oneself. A person would need to be convinced. A rather silly thing, all things considered; having to be convinced that your own imagined convictions are false. But so very human....:)
Cole is right, as someone who is a clumsy fool, I had more than my fair shares of face colliding into male chests (bus, class, outings you name it) and they're a like soft but very firm pillows
they're like*