I know that the manga tries to portray Ichikawa as a Beta type of character, that he's timid and easily looked over. To me, though, I think he's Alpha af. To have that kind of self-awareness at that age, and to be able to be honest with himself as to his true feelings - knowing what his feelings actually ARE - puts him ahead of the pack.
Well, I can only compare to how I was. Now, I've enough experience with women, but when I was at Ichikawa's age, girls were just barely beginning to register on my radar. I only felt that they were slightly different from the guys; knowing that they had feelings that had to be taken care of was something unimaginable at that time.
Then again, maybe the author is aware of this too, seeing as to how Yamada's girl friends are immature shitheads. It's as if the two are on a patch of land, surrounded by shark-infested waters. Ichikawa and Yamada are both so different from the rest of the pack, to the point they have to hide their true feelings for the moment.
The dangers in my heart... wouldn't be so bad if the assholes they go to school with weren't so insufferable.