Lore Timeline?

[Hinoto-no-Ryuji]

Perhaps enough time has passed since the Rebellion that people have casually taken to referring to it as a year, even if it hasn't actually been literally that long? Like maybe two or three seasons, or something, so it's still TECHNICALLY the same year even if we're getting to the end of it.

This is FAIRLY plausible - people will typically refer to something from 9-10 months ago as being "last year", and I don't think it's too much of stretch for the events of ARR and Heavensward to have occurred over the course of that time. It will obviously get less and less plausible as time goes on, but for now, we might still be okay.