Preliminary round

Five thirty p.m. Ten more minutes until her taxi arrived. A glance in the mirror. Soft, dark green fabric over her curves. A spritz of perfume on her wrist. One in her hair. Take a deep breath. Outside, her taxi honked. She reached for her handbag. Quickly shut the door. A slight flutter in her stomach.

Fortunately, he only had a five-minute walk to the restaurant. He looked in the mirror and liked what he saw. The shirt made him look authentic, but his hair just wouldn't sit right today. He hurriedly reached for the hair wax, which promptly fell out of his hands. His hands were trembling. It had been a long time since he'd been this nervous…

One red traffic light after another. She absolutely couldn't be late! Whatever she did, she mustn't make a bad first impression – otherwise she'd be out straight away.

After many unsuccessful attempts, the styling finally worked. He checked the time and realised he'd spent a whole half hour on his hair. Now he had to hurry. He quickly grabbed his jacket, threw it on and reached for the key. Click, the door fell shut.

Finally! The taxi had even got her to the restaurant on time. She paid the driver and got out of the car. Nobody to be seen. She checked her phone. Yes, they were supposed to meet in front of the restaurant. Unusual, but oh well…

He would definitely be late. Sweaty and late, what a great first impression… And yet he would be the ideal candidate! There! He saw the restaurant. And only two minutes late after all, he'd been lucky there!

"Who on earth is that?", she wondered to herself. "Coming to an appointment completely sweaty like that?!" She had a clear advantage there. "Who is this incarnation of a green meadow?", was the first thing that went through his head. Before he could give it further thought, a woman in a black trouser suit stepped in front of them both…

"Welcome to your interview. Come along, I'll show you to the other professors."